NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 9: Matt James and Tyler Cameron attend The Blonds A / W 20 Fashion Show on … [+]
Paul Bruinooge / Patrick McMullan through Getty Images
Am Bachelor starting the new year and season 25 with the first in licensing history – Black lead. After 24 seasons, Matt James is the first person of color to be thrown in the lead role of the popular separation reality series. Am Bachelor first aired in 2002. James is well known to Bachelor Nation fans. He is a close friend and former business partner Bachelorette competitor Tyler Cameron. The North Carolina man, who played football at Wake Forest University, was first selected as a contender for Clare Crawley on season 16 which was just over. Am Bachelorette.
“We know we have a responsibility to make sure that the love stories we see on screen are representative of the world in which we live, and we are proud to serve the our audience, “ABC said in a statement.” This is only the beginning, and we will continue to take action on diversity issues in this franchise. We feel so deserving of Matt to be our first Black Bachelor and we can’t wait to go on this journey with him. “
Diversity Issues
The show has been criticized over the years for its lack of diversity. In June, a group of fans launched the Bachelor Diversity Initiative with the goal of increasing production on the long haul. Their applications for ABC Network and Warner Bros. had to hire more BIPOC crew with fair pay, at least 35% BIPOC per quarter, and a BIPOC diversity advisor to be involved in production, casting and filming. The Change.org petition has so far signed more than 160,000 signatures.
“As the creators of one of television’s most popular and influential franchises, ABC and Warner Bros. have access and responsibility. reflect Black, Indigenous, People of Color (“BIPOC”) relationships, families and stories, “read the petition.” The franchise, and all those who represent it, should reflect and respecting the ethnic diversity of our country – both in front of and behind the camera. “
Lawyer and television personality Rachel Lindsay was the first African American director of the franchise during season 13 of Am Bachelorette in 2017. Lindsay has been vocal about her dissatisfaction with the show’s casting decisions and openly re-evaluated her relationship with the franchise following the murder of George Floyd by police officers who sparked protests. against racism across the country. She shared her feelings in a blog post with an emotional feeling.
“I still feel like I haven’t been high enough on the 18-year deep systemic problems in this franchise. You’ll never want to get a grip on the hand that feeds you, but no. you also want to support and eliminate your problem., “Lindsay wrote. “I’m bound by this franchise and being silent on some issues is still being close to these rounds of misconduct. If you saw your brother or sister doing something wrong you would always not be responsible. for them? “
When Crawley cut her season short after finding love early, Tayshia Adams who was a Bachelor rival took over and became the second Black lead in the franchise. She was also the first biracial woman in the lead role.
“I think it’s an amazing opportunity to be the first African American and Mexican bachelorette. I was feeling a bit stressed but it was just because I wanted to make sure I represented for the women who are like me, ”she told Shadow and Act.
The rankings are behind them
However, diversity in casting has not yet equated to diversity in observation. Listeners to both Am Bachelor and Am Bachelorette tends to slip white with a majority. This is a common trend for reality shows. During Lindsay’s season, the audience was 80% white, 12% black, and another 7% according to Nielsen. The rankings also dropped significantly from the previous season with JoJo Fletcher. Lindsay’s Bachelorette 12 percent fewer total viewers pulled in Summer 2016, with 7.143 million viewers per program, down from an F10cher average of 8.108 million. In the 18-34 demographic rankings, Am Bachelorette down 24 percent by 1.9 compared to 2.5 the previous summer. In the popular 18-49 demographic, the quarter was down 15 percent with an average of 2.2 against a 2016 ranking of 2.6.
This was lead Old boy licensing creator and executive producer Mike Fleiss to discuss the reason behind the low numbers.
“It really bothered me in a Trump way,” Fleiss told the New York Times
NYT
Adams’ Bachelorette the latter was the minimum and the minimum level of viewing Bachelorette end of season of all time. In the latter end there were 1.2 / 7 viewers and 5.239 million. This was down 43% in the main demo from Summer 2019 and -33% from the previous low for the final program of the season. By then, the lowest ratings came in August 2018, when the Season 14 sequel reality series ended up with a demo rating of 1.8 and a total of 6.722 million viewers.
Final end of last issue of Am Bachelor Famous pilot Pete Weber attracted the largest audience in four years with just under 8.5 million viewers and a ranking of 2.4 among 18-49 adults. That matched the ranking posted by the end of season 23. By then Ben Higgins ’last season in 2016 attracted 9.2 million viewers.
It remains to be seen how Matt James will fare when he embarks on his journey on January 4, 2021 on ABC.