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The U.S. entertainment industry is missing out on billions of dollars each year by failing to adequately represent Latinos — one of its largest consumer groups, according to a new report from the non-profit Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC).
The industry stands to gain an additional $12 billion to $18 billion annually by achieving proper Latino representation in TV and film, according the LDC’s 2024 U.S. Latinos in Media report.
This serves as a testament to the increasing economic influence of Latinos in the United States. The LDC estimates that the U.S. Latino GDP — the economic output by the U.S. Latino population — reached $3.6 trillion in 2022, making it the fifth largest economy in the world. The non-profit estimates the U.S. Latino GDP could rank as the world’s largest GDP by 2029, and this demographic loves movies and media.
Although Latinos make up just 20% of the U.S. population, they account for 24% of box office sales, 29% of daily mobile TV viewers, and 24% of streaming users, according to the report.
Their economic impact was recently reaffirmed by the success of Inside Out 2 (DIS-1.64%), the highest-grossing animated film of the year. U.S. Latinos accounted for 40% of domestic ticket sales for the movie.
Despite all of this, U.S. Latino representation in film and television is severely lacking. Latinos held just 8% of acting roles in the top 100 highest-grossing movies of the year, including only 2% of lead roles, 1% of co-lead roles, and 5% of ensemble cast roles. Behind the scenes, Latino directors made up 8% and Latino screenwriters 4%.
In this year’s scripted television, Latino actors held lead roles in just 11 of the 198 shows LDC analyzed. Overall, Latinos made up 9.8% of main cast members, including only 6% in lead roles, 1% in co-lead roles, and 3% in ensemble cast roles.
Only 8% of scripted TV episodes were directed by Latinos, and just 5% of showrunners were Latino.
This lack of representation could be hindering the industry as a whole. Films featuring Latinos in above-the-line roles — such as directors, writers, and principal cast members— outperformed those without such representation by 58% at the global box office from 2013 to 2022, according to the report.
“This demographic is not just part of the market; it defines the new market. Ignoring this segment means missing out on considerable growth and profitability,” wrote LDC co-founder Sol Trujillo in the report.