For years, the most persuasive voice in advertising hasn't been a polished brand spot - it's been a creator. That's why DTC brands have poured budget into UGC on Meta and TikTok. But the biggest screen in the house, the living room TV, stayed out of reach: locked behind agencies, six-figure productions, and timelines measured in months. Creator-led TV ads simply weren't on the table.
Not anymore. Today we're launching Universal Ads Creator Studio - Powered by Insense, a partnership that brings creator-led UGC to premium Connected TV inventory through Universal Ads.
"Creators have proven they can drive performance on paid social ads. Now that same creative power is available on the biggest screen in the house. CTV isn't just a new channel - it's a new standard in UGC for how brands will reach audiences at scale. We couldn't have built this with a better partner - Universal Ads is one of the most innovative and fastest-moving teams in the industry." - Danil Saliukov, CEO, Insense
Why CTV advertising is becoming a performance channel
Paid social fights for attention. TV already has it - non-skippable, full-screen, sound-on, playing to the whole household. Universal Ads brings the mechanics performance marketers already know to premium CTV: self-serve buying, transparent pricing, and measurable outcomes. No agency required. No hidden fees. And it’s measurable the way performance teams expect: the Universal Ads Pixel tracks conversions and reach, with incrementality through Universal Ads’ measurement partner Measured, so you see TV’s real contribution, not just last-click.
And the creative barrier that used to make TV a non-starter is gone. Traditional spots run $5K–$20K+ and take months. Creator-led production delivers airable spots in weeks, at a fraction of the cost - and an average 4.2x ROAS versus traditional production (source: Universal Ads).
What you actually get
Creator Studio is an end-to-end managed service for producing creator-led TV ads for CTV. Insense handles everything from creative research and TV scripting to broadcast-spec editing - you stay at roughly 5% involvement, approving concepts, creators, and final deliverables. Everything else is on us.
That includes:
- A vetted CTV creator roster: 2,400+ creators curated with Universal Ads for the living room, backed by Insense's 80K+ creator community
- Concepts built for TV: testimonial, demo, problem–solution, and lifestyle angles where the brand lands early and the message works without a click
- Broadcast-ready spots: every concept cut to 15s, 30s, and 60s, QC'd against Universal Ads specs (1920×1080, H.264, –24 LUFS, licensed music)
- A performance feedback loop: each flight, we review what's winning by concept, creator, and duration, then produce remix cuts of the winners informed by real TV data
- More from one shoot: every concept becomes multiple airable cuts (15s, 30s, 60s), so a single production gives you more to test
- Cross-channel ready: the same footage can be repurposed into vertical cut-downs for Meta and TikTok, so one production can fuel TV and social
The model is simple: you own the media, Insense owns the creative process. You pay Insense directly with no markup, and your existing UGC learnings, the hooks, angles, and creators that already convert, carry straight over. You're not starting from zero.
Test creator-led CTV ads
Participating advertisers can access ad credits from Universal Ads, released once deliverables are confirmed (subject to program terms). Pair that with creative that recycles what already works for you, and TV stops being a leap of faith and starts looking like your next testing channel.
From kickoff to on-air takes about four to five weeks for a first round - faster after that, once your concepts, creators, and workflow are in place.
Get early access
Creator Studio is rolling out now. To find your CTV creator and put your first creator-led spot on premium streaming inventory, sign up on the Universal Ads Creator Studio page and our team will take it from there.
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