The convergence of social and CTV is no longer theoretical; it’s here. Creators are moving beyond the scroll and onto the biggest screens in the home, bringing with them built-in audiences, loyal fanbases, and new opportunities for brands to engage.
This shift marks a turning point: advertisers can now scale creator-driven messaging across CTV, either by extending existing partnerships or replacing them altogether. It’s not just about social reach anymore. It’s about presence in premium, ad-supported environments where content is bingeable, targetable, and measurable.
Recent moves by platforms like Samsung TV Plus, which has partnered with creators such as Mark Rober, Michelle Khare, Smosh, and The Try Guys, are proof. This evolution goes beyond any one platform. It reflects a fundamental change in how audiences engage with content and how brands need to show up.
Creators Are Expanding from the Feed and Taking Ownership of the Screen
For years, creators were synonymous with short-form content. They competed for attention in scroll-driven environments like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, where they have built highly loyal audiences and compelling narrative audiences that don’t just want to watch, but are willing to follow them from device to device.
Samsung isn’t just meeting creators on phone screens; it’s giving them a seat in the living room.
We’re already seeing this unfold. MrBeast, one of the most influential creators in the world, recently launched Beast TV, a dedicated FAST channel in partnership with Samsung TV Plus and Pluto TV. However, this isn’t just a repackaging of YouTube content. It’s a curated, long-form experience designed for connected TV, and it marks a significant evolution. MrBeast isn’t just featured in ads anymore. He’s building and programming his own network.
This shift opens new opportunities for advertisers to scale influencer-driven messaging by extending it into CTV, either as an expansion of an existing creator partnership or as a standalone tactic. While the creator economy evolves rapidly, the real value for brands lies in leveraging this content through premium, targetable, and measurable CTV environments.
For Brands, the Strategy Must Evolve
As creators take ownership of the screen, the way brands show up needs to evolve just as quickly. Creator marketing can no longer be siloed into short-form UGC on social platforms. CTV, especially FAST channels, offers a lean-back, full-attention environment where creator-led content drives cultural impact at scale.
Brands should be thinking beyond sponsorships and product placements. There’s now an opportunity to:
- Co-develop branded shows in partnership with creators and platforms.
- Leverage programmatic ad buys on creator FAST channels for hyper-targeted storytelling.
- Embed products directly into episodic content through narrative integration.
- Partner early in the content development process to ensure alignment and exclusivity.
Brand safety and measurement are also maturing on these platforms, enabling more sophisticated CTV strategies. The biggest shift is that brands must start viewing creators not as one-off campaign talent, but as long-term partners with their own programming ecosystems.
The Bottom Line
The walls between media buying, creator partnerships, and content strategy are collapsing. For marketers, it’s no longer about choosing between TV and paid social advertising anymore, it’s about showing up where creators are building the next wave of cultural currency. CTV isn’t a niche experiment anymore. It’s a scalable, immersive, and now creator-powered ecosystem drawing attention on a massive scale.
At Direct Agents, we build toward this future. Our CTV approach integrates creator-first thinking into every stage of planning. From inventory sourcing to creative strategy, we ensure that your brand isn’t just included, but central to where audience attention is moving.
Want to learn how Direct Agents can help your brand thrive in the new CTV-first world? Please reach out to [email protected].
Corey Levine, VP of Integrated Media, Direct Agents