Which streaming services lead in Latino representation? The best and worst platforms of 2024

The U.S. entertainment industry is missing out on $12 billion to $18 billion annually by underrepresenting Latinos, one of its largest consumer groups, according to a report from the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC).

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.

Latinos make up 20% of the U.S. population but account for 24% of box office sales, 29% of mobile TV viewers, and 24% of streaming users. Despite this, Latino actors held lead roles in just 11 of 198 scripted TV shows analyzed in this year’s LDC report, while only 8% of episodes were directed by Latinos, and 5% of showrunners were Latino.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to honor the contributions of Latino and Hispanic Americans, here’s a breakdown of the streaming platforms with the best and worst Latino representation in lead roles within their 2024 scripted shows.

Disney+ — 0%

In 2024, Disney (DIS)+ had zero Latino actors in main cast roles — a significant drop from last year’s 6.7% representation among leading roles. But 24% of the service’s scripted TV episodes were directed by Latinos.

Peacock — 1%

NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock (CMCSA) fared just marginally better with Latinos making up 1% of main ensemble cast roles. And 6% of episodes were directed by Latinos.

Prime Video — 2%

Latinos comprised 2% of lead roles in ensemble cast shows on Amazon Prime Video (AMZN). Additionally, 11% of the 111 episodes were directed by Latino directors, and 15% of the 13 shows had Latino showrunners.

Hulu — 4%

Latino actors made up 4% of lead roles in ensemble cast shows on Hulu in 2024. Only 8% of 13 shows had Latino showrunners.

Paramount+ — 6%

Latinos made up just 6% of main roles in an ensemble cast and 7% of 91 episodes were directed by Latinos in 2024.

Roku Channel — 8%

Roku Channel (ROKU) only had 2 scripted shows in 2024. Latinos made just 8% of the main roles and only 6% of 18 episodes were directed by Latinos.

Netflix — 13%

Despite producing the highest volume of scripted shows (41) among streaming platforms, Netflix (NFLX) featured just 7% Latino leads, 1% co-leads, and 3% in ensemble cast roles — adding up to 13% of Latino representation in main cast roles. Only 7% of episodes were directed by Latinos, and Latino showrunners accounted for just 2%.

Max — 13%

Max (WBD) featured 11% of its shows with a single Latino lead and 2% in ensemble casts. Additionally, it had 11% of episodes directed by Latino filmmakers and boasted the highest percentage of Latino showrunners at 17%.

AppleTV+ — 17%

Apple TV (AAPL)+ stands out with the highest percentage of shows starring a Latino single-lead at 17%. The platform also featured 8% of episodes directed by Latino filmmakers and 4% of shows with Latino showrunners.