Viewers are talking, and they’re doing it in Spanish. A 2024 Horowitz study showed that Latinxs consume more streaming than other demographic groups, with a growing demand for Spanish-language content.
Despite popular belief, the needs of Latinx audiences in the United States are not being met by telenovelas alone. This is reflected in the increase in streaming platform subscriptions and the decrease in traditional television subscriptions. In just one year, subscriptions to cable and satellite services have declined — only 39% of Latinx households now subscribe to cable.
While telenovelas are part of the Latinx culture inherited from our abuelitas, there is so much more we want to watch. We are also big consumers of English-language content and this influences the types of formats and genre hybrids that we want to watch right now. In addition to Telemundo or Univision, Latinx households are big consumers of platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Hulu, and Disney+, according to the study, so the audience needs are greater and more varied than often thought. We don’t just want the seasonal romance of the poor girl who falls in love with the handsome, young, rich protagonist, we want to enjoy other powerful and inclusive stories from the family couch.
Meeting this need is how paradigm-breaking series are born. Just look at Money Heist, which has a good dose of suspense and action as it follows a group of bandits in one of the biggest robberies in history. This show, which reached 44 million homes in its third season in the first four weeks, demonstrates that Spanish-language content is not exclusive to Hispanics; other audiences watch it as well, which means that a show doesn’t have to be in English to succeed. For example, during the pandemic one of the most popular series worldwide was Elite, a Spanish-language teen drama that recalled the best of Gossip Girl, Beverly Hills 90210, Riverdale, and The O.C. With this good mix, Elite contributed 200 million in revenue to Netflix by 2022.
“Services hoping to attract and retain Latine audiences must continue to focus on presenting the best Spanish-language offerings with high quality, desirable new content as well as robust libraries of classic Spanish shows and movies to represent real value for these viewers,” says Adriana Waterston, EVP and Insights and Strategy Lead for Horowitz Research.
For the past few years, there has been a greater supply of Spanish-language content on streaming platforms, which has allowed for the growth of the subscription audience – three out of four Latinx consumers watch at least some content in Spanish and two out of three bilingual people consider Spanish-language content important when choosing a service. However, despite representing approximately 19% of the U.S. population, Latinxs are still overlooked as audience members and as directors, producers, and lead actors. Hopefully, those numbers will finally start to move when streaming platforms understand that our communities account for 20% and 30% of the industry’s revenue. But in the meantime, we can only enjoy Spanish-language content in most white dribs and drabs.
While we wait for the platforms to catch up to what Latinx communities want (diversity) in both English and Spanish, let me recommend some Spanish-language series that captured the attention of the global audience, like The House of Flowers and Cable Girls, which blend the best of telenovelas with more current formats. Or Paquita Salas, which incorporates the best rhythm of sitcoms. Or Who Killed Sara?, which keeps our eyes open at night.
Meanwhile, actors have realized the importance of proudly incorporating Spanish into their work – whether it’s Anya Taylor Joy promoting Furiosa in Spanish, Eva Mendes creating content for her social media with the best Cuban accent, or Sofía Vergara giving us her first Spanish-language performance in a US production.
But we need more – including buy-in from the US and global entertainment industries at large – if we’re ever going to get enough Spanish-language content to meet the growing Latinx communities’ needs. Apurate Hollywood.
