Asian lead roles have increased on Netflix, report finds

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A study released Thursday by Netflix and the University of Southern California (USC) reported that 41.5% of series and 12.3% of films on the streaming platform in 2021 had an Asian lead or co-lead.

Of the 15 Asian communities represented in Netflix content, the largest percentages seen were Indian, Korean, Chinese and Filipino.

Netflix first partnered with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in 2021 to release a report on diversity and inclusion every two years. In the latest Inclusion in Netflix Original U.S. Scripted Series and Films report, 546 fictional films and series from 2018-2021 were analyzed for the findings.

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The report also evaluated gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+ characters and disabilities. Production personnel, such as directors, screenwriters and producers, were also measured for gender and race/ethnicity.

By far the largest growth across all four years was seen in terms of gender equality, with over half (55%) of all films or shows featuring female leads or co-leads. There was also a significant increase in female show creators, from 26.9% in 2018 to 38.1% in 2021.

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Although 47.5% of content in the study featured leads or co-leads from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern/North African characters were among the most underrepresented groups on screen and behind the scenes.

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