The first edition of the EBU report on diversity in public media was released in late May, amid growing demand for more

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The study involves academic sources, private gambling data laos research firms (Nielsen, Reuters), audiovisual regulatory authorities (CSA), as well as NGOs. It focuses on 5 pillars which are racial and ethnic diversity, sexual orientation, disability, age and gender . Each of the pillars is analyzed according to their representations on screen and on the airwaves, but also within organizations.

This report examines the representation of diversity in the European audiovisual sector and the challenges that lack of diversity poses for audience identification and social cohesion. It also outlines the actions taken by EBU member media to be more inclusive and to paint a more accurate picture of society.

General observation: progress is timid

Generally, the increase in media representation of diversity is very slow. The share of people from ethno-cultural or sexual minorities remains far lower in audiovisual content compared to the real composition of the population. However, studies and figures are sometimes lacking to identify this gap, as for example for LGBTQI+.

Despite an increase in diversity in casting, the composition sometimes remains disconnected from national demographic realities. For example, despite great diversity in casting on British television, mixed race and black people are over-represented compared to Asians.



In general, the representation of diversity in the audiovisual sector suffers from a vice of essentialization: black or mixed-race men remain over-represented compared to women and men from other ethnic minorities, gay men make up a large majority of LGBTQI+ representations and disability is often only shown as heavy and driving. This results in an invisibility of certain populations identifying as part of diversity. As the figures from the United Kingdom above show, it is often Asians who are the most under-represented in European media.