Creators are tailoring their influencer campaigns to draw more eyes connected TVs

It’s time to watch CreatorTV.

That’s the name of a new program launched by influencer marketing firm Linqia, which is looking to expand the reach of creator campaigns on connected campaigns. Linqia is not alone in that mission: Shopping platform LTK has also set its sights on the CTV market with an offering named LTK CTV.

Both CTV programs were announced within a week of one another. LTK CTV, which went live first, is a matchmaking service that connects brands to creators to produce original branded content. Those videos, which feature runtimes ranging from 30 seconds to one minute, include links to the LTK storefronts run by the participating creators.

LTK is facilitating creator campaigns on TV screens in response to the rising popularity of that screen among agencies. The ecommerce company teamed up with Northwestern University to conduct a study that found that 59% of surveyed marketers increased their CTV spending over the past year.

“Because so many brands now have loyalty, they have data [and] they’ve got so much rich content on the specific audiences they want to reach with specific messaging, they’re using connected TV to do that,” LTK Head of Marketing and Brand Platform Rodney Mason told AdAge. “And because creator [marketing] is so highly associated with targeting…brands have come to us and said ‘Hey, can we put creators on CTV?'”

Linqia’s CreatorTV works a little differently from LTK’s connected TV service. While some CreatorTV campaigns feature content in TV orientations, brands can also use the offering to repurpose creators’ vertical videos on CTV apps. Elements like text and QR codes fill in the blank space. Linqia piloted CreatorTV through a partnership with Alka-Seltzer that hit TV screens about two months ago.

The rise of creator content on CTV screens is not exactly a new phenomenon. For years, YouTube has touted its connected TV audience during its annual Brandcast presentations. TikTok has brought its influencer marketing campaigns to a number of different screens through an “Out of Phone” program it announced last year.

The arrival of CreatorTV and LTK CTV tells us that connected TVs are about to claim an increased share of influencer marketing budgets. Thanks to Linqia and LTK, the creators who take creative roles in their own campaigns will be able to put their skills to use in the living room.