The demand share for series created by majority female behind-the-camera (BTC) talent more than doubled between 2017 and 2023, rising from 8% to 17%. This information was presented by Parrot Analytics' Tara Quinn in a recent joint webinar with Banijay Elle and the Worldwide Audiovisual Women's Association (WAWA), showing the growing demand for shows with BTC female talent.
This increase was observed across both scripted and unscripted content, indicating a broad acceptance and appreciation for stories crafted by women. Specifically, the number of new productions and the audience demand for these series grew by 60% and 125%, respectively, for scripted series. For unscripted series, these figures were 26% and 123%, respectively. This trend suggested that series with majority female BTC talent often captured higher audience attention, implying a perception of higher quality or greater engagement with such content.
A notable shift occurred in the genres with the greatest growth in demand. There was a movement away from traditionally female-skewing genres towards those typically associated with male audiences, such as action, adventure, science fiction, and war. For example, demand for horror increased by 423%, musical by 209%, children by 150%, science fiction by 140%, and adventure by 139%. This shift highlighted that female creators were effectively engaging a more diverse audience base. Between 2017 and 2023, the audience composition for majority female BTC series transitioned from 67% female to a more balanced 58% female and 42% male. This change underscored the broadening appeal and inclusivity of content produced by women.
In terms of content type, scripted series saw a more pronounced growth in demand for productions with majority female BTC representation compared to unscripted series. This discrepancy was attributed to the historical presence of women in unscripted content and a more recent push towards female inclusivity in scripted series. The demand for scripted content created by women saw about a twofold increase. For instance, the average demand for scripted series with female directors increased from 3.6x to 7.6x, and for female writers, from 4.6x to 7.9x. In unscripted content, the growth was led by female producers with an increase from 1.8x to 3.0x, while editors saw the least growth, increasing from 1.5x to 2.6x.
Geographically, the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Australia led in the global demand distribution for new series with majority female BTC representation. The United States and the United Kingdom alone accounted for significant portions of this demand. However, Latin America experienced the most substantial relative growth, with its share of demand increasing from 6% in 2017 to 24% in 2023. This surge was likely driven by increased investments from global streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon in the region, particularly in telenovelas.
The report concluded that the rising demand for female-crafted stories is reshaping the television landscape. The increasing inclusivity behind the camera not only enhances the diversity of content but also broadens the audience reach across various genres. The findings suggest a promising future for female creators in the industry, with growing opportunities to engage and captivate audiences worldwide.
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