TV study: White men favored as big-budget series creators

By LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new study shows TV is making progress in creating diverse shows that are being embraced by viewers. But the study from the University of California, Los Angeles, also found the TV industry is falling short of equality when it comes to production spending. According to the study of the 2020-21 TV season, white men were more likely to create big-budget shows than people of color or white women. The UCLA study says that’s especially true for shows on streaming services with budgets of $7 million or more per episode. The study cited Netflix’s “The Crown” as one example of such a show.