More Americans are tuning in to Asian-led content, analysis finds
By Ryan General
9 hours ago
The latest AANHPI audience report from data analytics company Nielsen found that Asian-led stories, athletes and franchises are drawing viewers across every major demographic group in the U.S. Released on May 7, “
Where audiences are shifting
Sports dominated broadcast viewing among AANHPI audiences in 2025, with Nielsen finding that 91 of the top 100 broadcast programs watched by the demographic were sports events. Baseball and Olympic programming emerged as major audience drivers, particularly around internationally recognized Asian athletes.
The report found that internationally recognized athletes also resonated with broader U.S. television audiences. Alysa Liu’s gold medal free skate at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics drew 26.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, while baseball events featuring Shohei Ohtani contributed to major gains in MLB and World Series viewership.
Streaming showed similar crossover performance across racial and age demographics. “KPop Demon Hunters” became the most-streamed original movie of 2025 with 20.5 billion viewing minutes and ranked as the top movie among Hispanic, Asian, Black and White audiences. “BTS: The Return” generated 47 million viewing minutes during its first week, with 73% of viewers identified as non-Asian audiences. Nielsen also found that “Squid Game” reached 1.6 billion viewing minutes in 2025, while the top 10 anime series generated a combined 5.2 billion viewing minutes during January and February 2026 alone.
Why the data matters
Nielsen’s findings come as Hollywood continues to face criticism over how Asian stories, franchises and cultural touchpoints are adapted and cast despite growing mainstream demand for Asian-led content. Hallmark recently faced backlash over its mahjong-themed romantic comedy featuring a largely non-Asian lead cast, while Netflix’s planned live-action “Gundam” adaptation prompted criticism online following reports that Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo had been cast in major roles.
Nielsen said the findings challenge the idea that Asian-centered entertainment operates primarily within a niche or diaspora market. The report adds measurable audience data to those conversations and should increase pressure on studios, advertisers and streaming platforms to expand investment in Asian talent and storytelling.
“The proliferation of Asian and Asian American-driven content is not a trend, it’s a mainstream cultural movement,” Stacie de Armas, Nielsen’s senior vice president of inclusive intelligence, said in Nielsen’s announcement.
This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.
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