Nielsen’s recent study about Latino viewers reveals the community’s impact on the popularity of shows on streaming platforms. The findings show how the most “bingeable” shows had Latinos working in front and behind the cameras. “I think that’s a really important marker for how Latinos are influencing America’s most watchable entertainment,” says Stacie de Armas, Senior Vice President at Nielsen.
“It’s important to have Latinos on camera,” says de Armas. “But if you also add behind the camera, look at how much higher your binge ability becomes. So it becomes a business case for media companies that are looking to acquire content.”
© Only Murders in the BuildingOne of the most popular shows on Hulu is starred by a Latina. The mystery-comedy Only Murders in the Building is co-starred by Selena Gomez. She is also one of the show’s executive producers and has ranked in the top positions for several weeks. Its cast members have been nominated for a 2022 Emmy Award.
In fact, Selena is the second Latina to be nominated for an Emmy as an executive producer for Outstanding Comedy Series, following Salma Hayek’s nomination for “Ugly Betty” in 2007.
According to de Armas, Latinos represent 19% of the U.S. population, de Armas says, but when it comes to watching shows on platforms, 42% of the country’s most-watched content is thanks to the Hispanic community.
Among the shows Latino audiences enjoy watching are crime dramas and comedies. “If you look to comedy, actually representation is pretty low on the screen,“ she noted. ”I’m curious, as a researcher, about the social science around this,“ she adds. ”How does this perhaps influence the identity formation of Latinos and other people’s perception of Latinos?“
Another popular show among Hispanics is the now-canceled HBO Max’s Gordita Chronicles. “It did attract a significant amount of new viewers to the platform just for that show,” says de Armas, per NPR. “Once they came to the platform, they watched Gordita Chronicles. They binged it. They stayed on the platform after the premiere and watched more content. And in fact, about 78,000 or 57% of that new audience was Hispanic.”
