Management, Consumers Sharply Split on Perceptions of Media & Entertainment Diversity

It’s no secret that the media and entertainment industry has a diversity problem.  

For decades, executives tended to be white men, a pattern that continued as the country continued to grow. 

Deloitte recently published highlights from its “Media Reimagined” study, which was fielded in November 2022 to 3,000 U.S. adults 18+ and to 500 U.S. media and entertainment professionals, which makes clear that a continued focus on diversity in entertainment will help to build revenues within diverse groups. 

A key finding is that barriers to diversity persist at the top, with a wide disparity between senior leadership thinking the media and entertainment industry is diverse (75%) versus regular staff (59%). This grows to a massive gulf of 47 percentage points between what leaders and gatekeepers think when compared against the consumers they are serving with regards to inclusivity. (See VIP+’s analysis of how Black audiences are underserved in FAST for just one example.) 

This issue is further exacerbated by the ongoing changing face of demographics in the U.S. In 1950, 88% of the population, per the Census, was white. Fast-forward to 2020, and, while still the majority, that has shrunk to 58%, with 19% of Americans identifying as Hispanic, 12% Black, 6% Asian and, crucially, 10% as two or more races. 

Deloitte found that a sizable proportion of employees at media and entertainment companies think the lack of diversity in leadership is problematic and that a focus on diversity is sometimes pushed away, owing to fears of upsetting some of the audience. Even more critical: One in three think leaders don’t understand what diversity and inclusion mean, a point that may fall should more boardroom seats go to non-white executives. 

There’s a lot at stake. The media and entertainment industry was estimated by Deloitte to be worth $717 billion domestically, with $139 billion spent by Hispanic Americans, $89.3 billion by Black Americans, $41.2 billion by AAPI and $33.2 billion by LGBTQIA+. Women from groups other than those accounted for $183.2 billion. 

Hopefully in the coming years, fewer employees will think leaders don’t understand diversity or are too afraid to embrace it, boardroom executives will be more diverse themselves and consumers will believe the industry is embracing diversity.