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Entity explores the increase of minorities in television.

Minority voices are now making it in the big time as TV networks realize the financial appeal of embracing minority demographics.

In 2015, “Fresh off the Boat” became the first primetime sitcom revolving around an Asian-American family since Margaret Cho’s single season of “All American Girl” (1994-95). Its success on network television is unprecedented.

Similarly, “Jane the Virgin,” a sitcom revolving around a Hispanic family that blends comedy-drama and telenovela has won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Show. In addition, lead Gina Rodriguez has won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the show.

ABC aired “Quantico” in 2015, making Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra the first Indian actor to lead a primetime drama in America. In addition,  shows like “Black-ish,” the now-cancelled “Uncle Buck” (2015-16) and the upcoming “Shots Fired” trace the emergence of African-American voices on national television. “Black-ish,” which has been renewed for its third season, stars black entertainment icons and comedy powerhouses Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jenifer Lewis.

Formerly, these TV shows would have been shown only on BET, Univision or Myx TV. These networks air primarily African-American (BET), Latin (Univision) and Asian-American (Myx TV) programs. So why is it that shows featuring primarily minority talent are now so popular on big broadcast networks like  ABC, FOX and the CW?

A recent study from UCLA showed that the more minority characters there are on a show, the higher the ratings. “Median household ratings peaked among broadcast television shows that were 41 to 50 percent minority, while ratings took a dive for shows with casts that were 10 percent minority or less.”

The emergence of minority-driven shows like “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Black-ish” and “Shots Fired” shows that big networks are taking note of what the public wants to see on TV.

The move for more minorities is also mirrored in staff. Shows with more minority writers are also more successful—a hint that Saturday Night Live took recently by hiring Sasheer Zamata after receiving criticism for having no black female writers.

As networks realize that including niche audiences bring in more money, America is beginning to see  characters on television more closely mirroring America’s characters in reality.

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