Study: How diverse are the audiences for 'This Is Us,' 'Empire,' 'Westworld'?

The audiences for some of your favorite TV shows might not be exactly what you think. 

Data measurement company Nielsen released a study Thursday that took a look at the audiences of series that include diverse casts like NBC's "This Is Us," ABC's "Black-ish" and HBO's "Westworld." 

Nielsen found that audiences for series like "This Is Us," where there is a large white cast in addition to black characters, still had majority white audiences. "This Is Us" has an audience that is 79 percent white, 10 percent black, 6 percent Hispanic, 3 percent Asian and 2 percent other.

"Westworld," whose cast is drawn from multiple ethnic groups, draws an audience that is 76 percent white, 8 percent African-American, 7 percent Hispanic, 7 percent Asian and 2 percent other. 

The study also found that shows with primarily African-American casts draw more viewers of color. For example, "Empire" has an audience that is 61 percent black, 25  percent white, 10  percent Hispanic, 2 percent Asian and 2 percent other. And the audience for "Black-ish" is 58 percent white, 28 percent black, 8 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Asian and 3 percent other.  

The study was also quick to note that Generation Z, which it defines as people born between 1997 and 2016, is the most diverse generation in the U.S. 

“There’s a major shift happening in modern media consumption – from demographics to devices – and at Nielsen, we’re laser-focused on measuring all of it and providing an accurate reflection of the consumer experience," says Amanda Tarpey, a senior vice president on the company's digital team.  "With Gen Z representing the most multicultural generation in the U.S., understanding how content and advertising resonate across increasingly diverse platforms and audiences is more important than ever."

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The company also analyzed the "N-Score," or their rating of a celebrity's likability and influence, for several cast members of the assessed series, including "Black-ish" leads Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross, "This Is Us" Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown and "Empire" star Taraji P. Henson. It found that most of the stars had broad appeal across a variety of viewers with different ages, genders and ethnicities. 

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