State of Diversity on TV Recap: Four Key Takeaways

In Samba TV’s ongoing effort to create data at the heart of TV and power a better viewing experience for everyone, we recently released our second annual State of Diversity on TV report. The proportion of Americans who identify as ethnicities other than white has already hit 41% and continues to increase, and to reflect the changing population and stay relevant, content creators must emphasize the stories of the diverse populations who increasingly define what it means to be an American viewer and consumer. 

Our first-party data sheds light on the status of ethnic representation within top TV shows and advertisements, as well as the impact that diversity has on viewership and engagement. Read on for four key takeaways and download the report for a deeper analysis. 

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1. With ads missing Hispanic, Asian, and Black audiences, advertisers must look to advanced targeting tactics across CTV and digital that allow for precision. 

Although white Americans comprise just 59% of the population, 63% of linear and OTT ads are reaching them. In turn, this means that advertisers are missing valuable diverse viewers - particularly Hispanic audiences, who comprise 19% of the population but are served just 15% of ads. Clearly traditional methods of advertising aren’t effectively reaching diverse groups, meaning that advertisers should rely on precise methods of targeting like Samba Audiences’ data segment, CTV PMP, and online video PMPs rather than the unreliable results of linear TV.

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2. Advertisers looking to engage diverse audiences should flight their ad buys across programming with diverse casts.

Hispanic, Asian, and Black households are all more likely to watch TV where they seem themselves represented, with each group driving positive correlations of +50%, +43%, and +25%, respectively, between shows with a higher percentage of leads from that ethnic group and viewership. With diverse programming attracting valuable, diverse audiences, advertisers should prioritize these shows on linear and streaming when choosing when to buy ads.

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3.  Representation drives viewership, meaning that streaming platforms should focus on diversity within programming as a differentiator.

The results of our analysis showed that just 39% of top-billed cast members across top shows weren’t white, which was down 7% year-over-year. With representation driving viewership, streaming platforms should focus on diversity within programming as a differentiator. This is particularly important in the context of the waging streaming wars, as diversity is a way that studios can distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive landscape. 

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4. To reach Hispanic viewers, advertisers should create specific segments and target viewers of top programs among Hispanic audiences.

Of the different ethnic groups, Hispanic actors are particularly underrepresented, and Hispanic audiences are particularly underserved ads. To reach Hispanic audiences, advertisers must think creatively and leverage advanced targeting. For example, in addition to segmenting viewers of top programs among Hispanic audiences like Griselda and Code 8: Part II, advertisers can use Samba TV’s TV Language audience to target viewers of Spanish-language networks like Univision and Telemundo. 

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