📺 Screentime
How do US Latinos consume content?
“We’re all on our screens too much nowadays.”
We’ve all heard this—some of us even go around saying it. But how true is the cliche? How much time does the average Latino spend looking at a device each week? Let’s use Hispanics in the US as a benchmark, comparing this group to the US population at large.
Whether it be on phones, social networks, or even watching TV the old fashioned way, Hispanics actually have less screentime than most people in the US overall. The only exception is with video-based apps on smartphones, reflecting perhaps longer commutes being punctuated with the latest bingeable drama.
At the highest level, Hispanics spend upwards of ten hours watching TV each week, which sounds high until you realize that the average American is watching nearly 50% more.
But does the actual content being watched differ? Interestingly, the biggest departure between the overall US population and the Hispanic subgroup is with situation comedies (or sitcoms), which are far more popular with non-Hispanics than Hispanics. Remember that next time you want to force a friend to watch The Office.
However, Hispanics on average are proportionately more plugged into everything from feature films and news documentaries to sports events. With the last of these, club and international soccer might make the difference, but there’s also the high popularity of local sports like football or baseball.
Clearly the US Latino population is a major – and growing – part of the sports audience, with diverse subgroupings such as Argentine or Colombian soccer fans and Caribbean baseball aficionados.
As Latinos grow in their share of the total US population, as well as integrate in greater numbers, we might well see a shift towards the trends of the rest of the US. After all, what is assimilation if not the gradual adoption of a common pop culture?
On the other hand, with a growing purchasing power and access to more leisure time through higher-paying jobs, maybe the trend will be reversed, and the US at large will start to better reflect Hispanic viewing habits. We’ll make sure to keep an eye out for telenovelas hopefully replacing The Big Bang Theory in the near future.
Comment of the week 🗣️
Speaking of US Latinos, Edgar breaks down how he thinks the few Mexican brands in the US strategize the Latino market.
