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| Steven Yeun, one of the few Asian leading men, stars with Kristin Stewart in 'Love Me' that can be viewed on Netflix. |
Hollywood does a better job in diversity and inclusion in streaming films than those movies released in theaters. However, despite the progress in representation, Asian American presence lags behind other minorities.
The UCLA Hollywood Diversitiy Report 2025 released this week found that streaming platforms continued to chart paths forward for diversity, with gains for people of color in all major employment categories. Women also saw more opportunities in acting roles, the report found. These increases are in sharp contrast to how films on the big screen walked back opportunities for these same groups.
“Films should reflect the realities of this country in terms of representation,” said Darnell Hunt, executive vice chancellor and provost at UCLA, who co-founded the report series. “We’re past the point where we can let the wholesale erasure of people’s identities, perspectives and experiences slide.”
FYI: The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report 2025
Streaming platforms continued to chart paths forward for diversity, with gains for people of color in all major employment categories. Women also saw more opportunities in acting roles, the report found. These increases are in sharp contrast to how films on the big screen walked back opportunities for these same groups.
After 2023’s historic highs for people of color in theater-bound films, after Trump's attack on DEI policies, the rollback on diversity was evident, as people of color lost ground in all key employment areas and researchers found that 80% of directors and co-directors and 91.5% of writers and co-writers were white.
Researchers found that, for the first time, half of all leads were people of color, almost double the percentage for top theatrical films. For instance, 64% of streaming films had casts that were at least 30% minority actors, compared to 57% of theatrical films.
Most of the top 20 streaming films by overall household ratings featured casts that included more than 30% people of color. When audiences were broken into different demographic groups, households that defined themselves as Asian, Black, Latino, white, or other race/ethnicity had at least eight, if not more, of their top 10 highest-rated films featuring casts that included such diversity.
The report also looked at film budgets, as well as the 175 film deals made in 2024 overall.
Just over 65% of the top streaming films had budgets of less than $20 million, compared to 34.6% for theatrical films. On the higher end, only 4.4% of streaming films had budgets of $100 million or more, which is almost six times less than the 26% share in top theatrical films. Men were the only streaming film directors with this level of resources.
“We’re glad to see gains for diversity with streaming films, but the gap between movie budgets for streaming and theatrical releases gets wider and wider,” said Michael Tran, a sociologist and co-author of the report. “It’s especially troubling since only a select few, specifically men, are given the chance to dip into the upper echelons of financial backing.”
While streaming has seen gains in diversity, the report also highlights the need for continued investment in diverse storytellers to remain relevant and attract new audiences.
Particularly key to the success of streaming films was the viewership of certain groups: Households of color were overrepresented for 19 of the top 20 streaming films ranked by total household ratings. Women were the majority of viewers, and audiences aged 18-49 were also overrepresented among 15 of the same top 20 films.
Streaming platforms continued to chart paths forward for diversity, with gains for people of color in all major employment categories. Women also saw more opportunities in acting roles, the report found. These increases are in sharp contrast to how films on the big screen walked back opportunities for these same groups.
After 2023’s historic highs for people of color in theater-bound films, after Trump's attack on DEI policies, the rollback on diversity was evident, as people of color lost ground in all key employment areas and researchers found that 80% of directors and co-directors and 91.5% of writers and co-writers were white.
Researchers found that, for the first time, half of all leads were people of color, almost double the percentage for top theatrical films. For instance, 64% of streaming films had casts that were at least 30% minority actors, compared to 57% of theatrical films.
However, the UCLA report's findings on streaming films, indicated that while representation for people of color in lead roles on streaming platforms has improved overall, Asian actors remain underrepresented.
- Underrepresentation in Lead Roles: Asian actors were still underrepresented among lead streaming roles, accounting for just 2% of these roles. This contrasts with their representation in the overall U.S. population, where Asians account for 6.4%.
- Diverse Casts in Top Films: A majority of the top 20 streaming-only films released in 2024 featured diverse casts, and households identifying as Asian were among those who had a significant portion of their top 10 highest-rated films featuring such diversity.
- Driving Viewership: Like other people of color, Asian audiences drove viewership highs for streaming films, especially those with diverse casts.
- Limited Representation in Specific Roles: There were no Asian female leads in the top theatrical films in 2024, and while the streaming report focuses on streaming, it is important to note this finding from Part 1 of the report.
- South Asian Minimal Representation: South Asians were minimally represented in top films.
“Our data shows that diverse storytellers and actors draw in and engage people from every demographic,” said co-author Jade Abston, a doctoral candidate in cinema media studies.
The report found that diversity was beneficial economically. The increased diversity behind and in front of the camera increased viewership among the streaming audience.
“People across the country support diverse films regardless of whether it’s in a theater or from the comfort of their couch,” said Ana-Christina Ramón, co-founder of the report and director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at UCLA. “Streaming films are one of the few places where the stories and faces that reflect the people of this country can be found.”
“People across the country support diverse films regardless of whether it’s in a theater or from the comfort of their couch,” said Ana-Christina Ramón, co-founder of the report and director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at UCLA. “Streaming films are one of the few places where the stories and faces that reflect the people of this country can be found.”
Most of the top 20 streaming films by overall household ratings featured casts that included more than 30% people of color. When audiences were broken into different demographic groups, households that defined themselves as Asian, Black, Latino, white, or other race/ethnicity had at least eight, if not more, of their top 10 highest-rated films featuring casts that included such diversity.
The report also looked at film budgets, as well as the 175 film deals made in 2024 overall.
Just over 65% of the top streaming films had budgets of less than $20 million, compared to 34.6% for theatrical films. On the higher end, only 4.4% of streaming films had budgets of $100 million or more, which is almost six times less than the 26% share in top theatrical films. Men were the only streaming film directors with this level of resources.
“We’re glad to see gains for diversity with streaming films, but the gap between movie budgets for streaming and theatrical releases gets wider and wider,” said Michael Tran, a sociologist and co-author of the report. “It’s especially troubling since only a select few, specifically men, are given the chance to dip into the upper echelons of financial backing.”
While streaming has seen gains in diversity, the report also highlights the need for continued investment in diverse storytellers to remain relevant and attract new audiences.
Particularly key to the success of streaming films was the viewership of certain groups: Households of color were overrepresented for 19 of the top 20 streaming films ranked by total household ratings. Women were the majority of viewers, and audiences aged 18-49 were also overrepresented among 15 of the same top 20 films.
In summary, the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report 2025 streaming edition highlighted both positive trends in overall streaming diversity and the continued need for improvement in Asian representation, particularly in lead acting roles.
“Having diverse stories pushes the boundaries of what we know and understand. Inclusive storytelling is needed now more than ever,” Hunt said.
“Having diverse stories pushes the boundaries of what we know and understand. Inclusive storytelling is needed now more than ever,” Hunt said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.
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