Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor star in Netflix’s “Bridgerton.”
Netflix
Netflix on Friday released a first study of its diversity to analyze the composition of talent on the Netflix screen, as well as the creators, producers, writers and directors of the camera.
The report shows that the company has made progress, but still has more work to do to close the diversity gaps. The company says it is betting on an “inclusion lens” in its work, which co-CEO Ted Sarandos says he wants to ask questions like “lack of voice? Is this interpretation authentic? Who is excluded?”
The company also announced the creation of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, which will invest $ 100 million over the next five years in organizations that help underrepresented communities train and find jobs in television and film. Netflix also pledged to release an update of this study every two years until 2026.
The study was conducted, at the request of Netflix, by Stacy Smith, who holds a PhD in communications and human development and is the founder and director of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative produces periodic reports on diversity in film and television. Smith’s team reviewed all of the films and series commissioned by Netflix between 2018 and 2019. Of the 22 inclusion indicators (such as racial identities, LGBTQ +, and disabilities), 19 showed an improvement over the period. of two years.
Netflix’s strengths in diversity are around women. The study found gender equality in the lead roles in movies and television series. Smith also found that Netflix outperforms the industry in hiring women and people of color as directors. It was also found that Netflix exceeded the proportional representation of the black protagonists and the main cast.
But the report also found that other ethnic and racial groups were underrepresented in relation to the American population. LatinX characters were only 4% of potential customers, despite being 12% of the population, and only 3% of creators and producers were LatinX.
The study also found that LGBTQ + characters were rare: only 4% of movie tracks and 1% of TV series. And while the study says 27% of the American population identifies with a disability, less than 1% of the protagonists in the series and only 5% of the main cast of the series were disabled characters.
“Dr. Smith ‘s years of research, including this new study, confirm this inclusion behind the program
the camera exponentially increases inclusion in front of the camera and that both depend on ensuring that the Netflix executives who commission these stories are also diverse, “Sarandos wrote in a blog post about the report.” Doing better means setting even more opportunities for underrepresented people. communities so that their voices are heard, and capacity and skills gaps are reduced with training programs where needed.
Friday’s news and company background is the latest in a series of commitments to diversity.
In January, the company released its first inclusion report on Netflix employee ranks. And in June, Netflix pledged $ 100 million to support black communities by putting 2% of its holdings in cash to black financial institutions that serve low- and moderate-income communities.
Netflix founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings has also made a personal commitment to diversity. In June, Hastings and his wife donated $ 120 million to historically black colleges and universities.