Pride by the Numbers: Netflix Survey Shows Representation Matters in Entertainment in the Philippines

Data & Insights

In an effort to continue celebrating Pride Month, albeit today’s uncertain condition, global streaming service, Netflix set out to determine the important role that media and entertainment arts play in influencing audiences’ perception and attitude towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

Manila, Philippines — In an effort to continue celebrating Pride Month albeit today’s uncertain condition, global streaming service, Netflix set out to determine the important role that media and entertainment arts play in influencing audiences’ perception and attitude towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

In a May 2020 survey, the streaming platform found that some of the Philippines’ favorite shows and films are, in fact, positively helping in fostering empathy among its viewers.

Out of more than 900 respondents in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao, 71% of Filipino viewers watched shows and films to better understand the world, and 63% reflected that watching content with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes represented helps them better understand, empathize, and interact with the LGBTQIA+ community.

Infographic courtesy of Netflix

According to the survey, the following films and shows on Netflix with LGBTQIA+ characters resonated with Filipinos the most recently: Die Beautiful, Born Beautiful, 13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things, Sex Education, Riverdale, Itaewon Class, A Secret Love, The Umbrella Academy and Romance is a Bonus Book, among others.

Among the titles highlighted in the data is the award-winning Filipino film that boldly showed the complexities of the life of a trans woman who is a pageant regular, Die Beautiful, that starred the now-multi-awarded actor Paolo Ballesteros.

Production still courtesy of Netflix

Following the movie’s success, a spin-off focusing on the gritty world of pageantry and realizations on sexuality and a displaced sense of faith and religiosity in Born Beautiful, featuring actor Martin Del Rosario, that also earned him nods of approval from critics here and overseas.

Production still courtesy of Netflix

Netflix also sought to hear from creatives from the Filipino LGBTQIA+ community about their thoughts on the importance of championing representation on the screen through a video called, “When I Saw Me” featuring testimonials from photographer, BJ Pascual, emcee, Marga Bermudez, content creator and entrepreneur, Issa Pressman, beauty queen, Kevin Balot, and filmmakers Samantha Lee and Fifth Solomon.

#PrideOnNetflix: When I Saw Me

To the LGBTQIA+ community, your stories matter. Your stories are important. In celebration of Pride month, watch BJ Pascual, Marga Bermudez, Samantha Lee, Issa Pressman, Fifth Solomon, and Kevin Balot share theirs and talk about finding the courage to share your own. 🌈 ❤️ #PrideOnNetflix

Posted by Netflix on Monday, June 15, 2020

Visit Netfilx.com/Pride for a variety of collections of LGBTQIA+ series, movies and documentaries.