In 2023, the true crime genre has emerged as a powerful force in audience engagement in Latin America. Yet despite the genre’s surging popularity, demand continues to far outpace supply, creating significant whitespace for platforms, producers, and buyers. For entertainment executives, this presents a clear opportunity: Latin America is ready for more true crime—especially local productions—and the market is still far from saturated.
A Genre Reaching a Broader, Younger, and Female Audience
According to Parrot Analytics’ global demand data, true crime shows now attract a highly engaged and diverse audience:
- 54% of the genre’s global audience is female, an important insight for content development and marketing.
- True crime shows strong demand across all generational clusters (Gen Z, Zennials, Millennials and Gen X+).
- Titles like El Rastro, Love & Death, and The Rookie were among the most in-demand titles with strong female engagement in 2023.
This demographic shift has made true crime more accessible and appealing to broader audiences than ever before. For executives looking to tap into youth-driven or gender-diverse audiences, this genre is increasingly a go-to vehicle.
Brazil Leads Regional Demand—but Supply Is Lagging
Half of all demand for true crime across Latin America (Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombian, Mexico) in 2023 came from Brazil, underscoring the country’s central role in the genre’s growth. Brazil has become a key driver for both regional and international success stories, with local hits like Investigação Criminal, Pacto Brutal, and Operação Fronteira: Brasil outperforming international imports in several cases.
Other key insights include:
- Brazil and Colombia show strong demand, particularly for documentary-style true crime.
- Local titles tend to resonate more deeply with audiences, often surpassing imported dramas in engagement metrics.
Yet despite this regional appetite, there remains a clear gap between demand and supply—particularly in drama subgenres. For example, documentary titles represent 46% of true crime demand in the region, yet only account for 84% of supply.
Platform Analysis: High Demand, Low Availability
The true crime content gap is especially pronounced when comparing demand against availability on major platforms. Parrot Analytics’ data reveals that:
- Netflix and Max collectively hold 60% of the genre’s supply, but demand remains far broader than these two platforms can fulfill.
- Several high-demand titles—including The Rookie, Narcos, Black Bird, and Love & Death—dominate audience attention, yet many regional markets remain under-programmed.
- White space exists for new entrants or current platforms to invest in true crime, particularly locally relevant, non-English productions.
This supply-demand imbalance signals opportunity for content acquisition and original commissioning strategies, especially for platforms looking to differentiate and deepen engagement in Latin America.
Want deeper platform-by-platform demand metrics? Explore DEMAND360 for access to real-time, granular insights.
Documentaries Deliver Stronger Local Impact
While drama series tend to dominate top-of-mind awareness, documentary-style true crime has demonstrated superior local performance in several markets:
- In Brazil, Investigação Criminal resonates more than international hits.
- In Colombia, El Rastro leads demand for the genre.
The takeaway: Latin American audiences are highly responsive to real, grounded storytelling—especially when localized. Producers and buyers should view documentary true crime as a reliable content format for regional engagement and potential global breakout.
Hit Titles Dominate Genre Attention
The true crime genre follows a long-tail pattern—but with a sharper head. In 2023, just ten drama titles accounted for roughly 75% of total drama subgenre demand. These include:
- The Rookie – 22.5%
- Narcos – 10%
- Love & Death – 8.4%
- Black Bird – 8.6%
- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – 6.4%
For documentaries, the top 10 titles contributed over 38% of demand, with standouts such as:
- El Rastro – 10.4%
- Investigação Criminal – 10.0%
- Pacto Brutal – 3.7%
Understanding which titles command the lion’s share of attention helps decision-makers assess both competitive threats and co-production opportunities. With demand so concentrated, strategic placement of a new hit in this space could shift market dynamics quickly.
To benchmark content performance across markets, access real-time demand share data via Parrot Analytics’ DEMAND360 platform.
A Case Study: The Rookie Breaks Out
One of the genre’s strongest cross-market performers is The Rookie. With 109 episodes and a new season debuting in February 2024, The Rookie experienced a significant demand surge across Latin America, outperforming many newer series.
Season 6 in particular posted higher audience engagement levels than previous seasons—evidence that long-running procedural formats remain viable in the true crime space, especially when paired with compelling character arcs and updated storytelling.
Strategic Takeaways for Content Executives
For entertainment leaders evaluating the LatAm opportunity in 2024 and beyond, Parrot Analytics’ true crime study surfaces clear takeaways:
- Demand is high and climbing, especially in Brazil and Mexico.
- Local productions deliver stronger resonance, particularly in documentary formats.
- Female viewers are a key audience segment, shaping genre evolution.
- Platforms have room to grow—both global streamers and local services can expand their true crime slates.
- High-performing franchises exist but have not yet saturated the market.
Whether you're a buyer, commissioner, agent, or producer, aligning your strategy with audience demand can make the difference between another title in the queue and a breakout hit.
Ready to Act on the Data?
Parrot Analytics empowers industry leaders with the world’s most comprehensive TV demand dataset. Our DEMAND360 platform offers real-time, cross-market insights into content performance, audience trends, white space opportunities, and platform benchmarking.
Want to learn more?
Book a demo of DEMAND360 to understand how data-backed decision-making can unlock growth across Latin America’s true crime landscape.
