A NEW STUDY presents data confirms what Asian Americans have suspected for several years -- we watch YouTube and Netflix a lot more than most other people.
Growing up in the mid-20th century, the only way I could find Asian representation in the media was to go to movies in Japantown and Chinatown. With YouTube, and increasingly, Netflix, I can find relevant Asian topics and view Asian faces, and see the world through Asian and Asian American perspectives -- all in the comfort of my living room.
According to Horowitz Research's FOCUS Asian: The Media Landscape 2018 report, Asian TV content viewers have adopted streaming more quickly than the general market: Three-quarters (75%) of Asian TV content viewers stream at least some of their TV content from YouTube and Netflix, compared to 68% of total market.
"The Asian audience has long posed a challenge for traditional TV providers. There has always been a market for in-language and culturally relevant content, but the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Asian market has made scalability a hurdle" says Adriana Waterston, Horowitz's SVP of Insights and Strategy.
On the other hand, while there are more than 21 million Americans of Asian descent in the US according to the US Census, only 4% of television series regulars were Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, according to a 2017 study on Asian American characters on television dubbed “Tokens On The Small Screen."
YouTube, specifically, plays a large role in Asian American TV viewers' TV lifestyles according to the Horowitz study:
YouTube, specifically, plays a large role in Asian American TV viewers' TV lifestyles according to the Horowitz study:
- 82% of Asian streamers say that they use YouTube for TV content and they are more than twice as likely as total market streamers to say that their first go-to service to watch TV is YouTube (21% vs. 10% of total market);
- Asian streamers report that when they are streaming TV content, they spend as much time watching YouTube (28% of their streaming time) as Netflix (29% of their streaming time);
- The affinity for YouTube is driven largely by bilingual and Asian-language dominant viewers: among English dominant Asians, 15% report going to YouTube first; 29% of bilingual and Asian-language dominant viewers go to YouTube first, closely followed by Netflix, 28%.
For the first time ever, YouTube held a celebration in honor of AAPI Creators, where attendees gathered for dinner and awarded Jason Y. Lee of Jubilee Media, makers of the “Both Sides” series that went viral last year, his 1,000,000 follower plaque. We here at the CalAsian Chamber would like to congratulate these AAPI entrepreneurs for all their success and thank them for representing the Asian American Community.
The social media influencer is one of the most interesting results since the advent of YouTube.
Since YouTube’s inception in 2005, young AAPI content producers have been sharing video content and gaining followings in massive amounts. This sharing format elicited such large and dedicating followings have caught the attention of advertisers, sponsors, and more.
Despite the wild success of the movie Crazy Rich Asians with its all-Asian cast that brought Asian and Asian American content to mainstream audiences, YouTube continues to be the medium of choice for would-be Asian American media stars.
And the success of these AAPI social media personalities have developed a loyal following among young Asian Americans seeking images of themselves, or entertainers who look like them. Social media -- and YouTube, specifically -- has provided the creative outlet for personalities that historically, have had Hollywood's doors shut to them.
Some of the Youtube stars who have broken out of the streaming network include Anna Akana, Lilly Singh, the Fung Brothers, Michelle Phan and 7-year old Ryan.
The study's conclusions should not be surprising. While shows like CBS’ Hawaii Five-0, ABC’s Fresh From The Boat and HBO’s Silicon Valley feature multiple Asian-American actors in starring roles -- and with Sandra Oh earlier this year becoming the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for a best actress Emmy award for her role in BBC America’s Killing Eve -- Asian Americans remain woefully underrepresented on the small screen.
Netflix, on the other hand, has increased its content from Asia and produced one of the season's biggest hits, To All The Boys I Ever Loved, featuring an Asian American family and starring Lana Condor. A sequel is reportedly in the works.
Kim's Convenience, a sit-com about a Korean Canadian family quietly entered its third season without all the hoopla surrounding Fresh Off the Boat and has specials from comedians Hasan Minhaj, Jo Koy, Aditi Mittal, Ali Wong, Harith Iskander and Margaret Cho. A Ken Jeong comedy special directed by Crazy Rich Asian's Jon M. Chu is slated in 2019.
Three years ago, Netflix produced the sries Marco Polo with an almost all-Asian cast but abandoned the prohibitively expensive product after its second season.
In October, with almost no promotion, the streaming service launched The Rise of Phoenixes, a long-running period drama produced in China with English subtitles that has all the court intrigue, battle scenes, production value and scheming characters that would satisfy Game of Thrones fans.
Its strong female lead in a male-dominated society makes it more relevant in the U.S. market where the #MeTo movement launched the political careers of scores of women and the company hopes it appeals to Asian Americans' tilt towards progressive values.
Netflix co-produced Phoenixes with iQiyi, the Netflix of China, and a handful of other Chinese production companies. Because of Netflix’s involvement, the production value is extremely high. More importantly, it gives Netflix a foothold in China, Asia's biggest market, and access to more of China's products.
Last year, Netflix acquired the rights to two original series produced by iQiyi — Tientsin Mystic, an adventure show set in the 1930s, and crime drama Burning Ice, as well as a film trilogy Chosen, co-produced by iQiyi and Sony Pictures. Most of these programs feature a diverse cast from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and America, aiming to connect with the diverse communities of Asian America.
In a clear message to Hollywood decision makers -- the producers, writers and studios -- the study clearly demonstrates that if the traditional American entertainment industry encompassed in "Hollywood," continues to cling to the old model of making "gut" decisions tand ignore data and continues to ignore content relevant to the Asian American community, the audience is not hesitant to find their entertainment alternative elsewhere.
The study's conclusions should not be surprising. While shows like CBS’ Hawaii Five-0, ABC’s Fresh From The Boat and HBO’s Silicon Valley feature multiple Asian-American actors in starring roles -- and with Sandra Oh earlier this year becoming the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for a best actress Emmy award for her role in BBC America’s Killing Eve -- Asian Americans remain woefully underrepresented on the small screen.
Netflix, on the other hand, has increased its content from Asia and produced one of the season's biggest hits, To All The Boys I Ever Loved, featuring an Asian American family and starring Lana Condor. A sequel is reportedly in the works.
Kim's Convenience, a sit-com about a Korean Canadian family quietly entered its third season without all the hoopla surrounding Fresh Off the Boat and has specials from comedians Hasan Minhaj, Jo Koy, Aditi Mittal, Ali Wong, Harith Iskander and Margaret Cho. A Ken Jeong comedy special directed by Crazy Rich Asian's Jon M. Chu is slated in 2019.
Three years ago, Netflix produced the sries Marco Polo with an almost all-Asian cast but abandoned the prohibitively expensive product after its second season.
In October, with almost no promotion, the streaming service launched The Rise of Phoenixes, a long-running period drama produced in China with English subtitles that has all the court intrigue, battle scenes, production value and scheming characters that would satisfy Game of Thrones fans.
Its strong female lead in a male-dominated society makes it more relevant in the U.S. market where the #MeTo movement launched the political careers of scores of women and the company hopes it appeals to Asian Americans' tilt towards progressive values.
Netflix co-produced Phoenixes with iQiyi, the Netflix of China, and a handful of other Chinese production companies. Because of Netflix’s involvement, the production value is extremely high. More importantly, it gives Netflix a foothold in China, Asia's biggest market, and access to more of China's products.
Last year, Netflix acquired the rights to two original series produced by iQiyi — Tientsin Mystic, an adventure show set in the 1930s, and crime drama Burning Ice, as well as a film trilogy Chosen, co-produced by iQiyi and Sony Pictures. Most of these programs feature a diverse cast from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and America, aiming to connect with the diverse communities of Asian America.
In a clear message to Hollywood decision makers -- the producers, writers and studios -- the study clearly demonstrates that if the traditional American entertainment industry encompassed in "Hollywood," continues to cling to the old model of making "gut" decisions tand ignore data and continues to ignore content relevant to the Asian American community, the audience is not hesitant to find their entertainment alternative elsewhere.
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