Leading the charge

ABC has led a charge into programming starring more racially diverse actors. Recent shows launched by the channel include Fresh off the

Boat, a sitcom about a Taiwanese family, Blackish, which centres on an African-American family, and Dr Ken, which stars the Korean-American comedian Ken Jeong.

These programmes have become fixtures of the network’s primetime schedule and come as the proportion of viewers from nonwhite backgrounds in the 18-49 year old demographic most coveted by advertisers is growing, according to Nielsen, the research firm. Six years ago Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians represented 36.6 per cent of viewers aged 18-49. This year, that figure had increased to 41.2 per cent.