ITV launches GenAI ads manager with Magnite technology

ITV, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, announced on October 8, 2025, a new partnership with Magnite to launch the ITV GenAI Ads Manager platform. The initiative builds on ITV's commercial creative production service expansion from September 2024, which first introduced generative AI capabilities for small and medium-sized enterprise advertising.

The platform utilizes Magnite's streamr.ai technology to automate advertisement creation for television and streaming distribution. According to the announcement, the system generates content by analyzing customer-owned digital assets including websites and social media profiles. The ITV Commercial creative production team manages the platform operations, enabling advertisers to produce television-ready commercials in under thirty seconds through a low-cost entry package.

Regulatory compliance integration

The UK Code of Broadcast Advertising has been embedded within the platform's creation and feedback mechanisms. This integration aims to streamline the clearance process while maintaining regulatory compliance standards. All advertisements produced through the system undergo review by ClearCast before broadcast distribution, following standard television advertising protocols.

ITV's creative production team currently assists more than 200 brands entering television advertising annually. The GenAI production service remains available to all qualifying SME advertisers, who can opt for upgraded packages offering more customized creative solutions. The broadcaster has trained its entire commercial team on platform operation.

Platform capabilities and process

The ITV GenAI Ads Manager extracts visual and textual elements from a business's existing online presence to construct broadcast-compliant advertisements. The technology processes this information to generate commercials meeting ITV's creative standards for both traditional broadcast and streaming channels. The thirty-second production timeline represents a significant reduction from conventional advertisement creation methods, which typically require days or weeks from concept to completion.

The platform's UK-specific model automatically produces advertisements conforming to BCAP standards, potentially reducing clearance duration. SMEs accessing the service can move from initial concept to broadcast-ready content within minutes, though final clearance through ClearCast remains mandatory.

Market context and SME accessibility

Television advertising has historically presented barriers for small businesses due to production costs and technical requirements. Production expenses for traditional television commercials typically range from thousands to tens of thousands of pounds, excluding media buying costs. The automated platform reduces these financial and operational hurdles.

The September 2024 announcement marked ITV's initial foray into AI-assisted advertisement creation for SMEs. That launch represented the broadcaster's response to changing market dynamics, where digital platforms have captured increasing advertising budgets from smaller businesses. The October 2025 platform launch extends this strategy by automating more of the creative process.

Jason Spencer, Business Development Director at ITV, stated: "After our groundbreaking launch of GenAI ads last year, this is the next exciting stage in how we use the fast-moving technology to make TV advertising more accessible for any small business which previously wouldn't have been able to tap into its power to grow their business. By using the specially created ITV GenAI Ads Manager powered by Magnite's streamr.ai and training up all our team to use it, we're continuing our ongoing commitment to support SMEs and innovate by democratising the creative production process even further."

Technical architecture and training

Magnite's streamr.ai serves as the foundational technology for the bespoke ITV platform. The system employs machine learning models trained on broadcast advertising standards specific to UK regulations. This localization enables the platform to generate content meeting BCAP Code requirements without extensive manual intervention.

The training program for ITV's commercial team ensures consistent platform utilization across the organization. This internal capability development allows the broadcaster to maintain quality control while scaling SME advertisement production. The approach contrasts with purely automated systems by maintaining human oversight throughout the creation process.

Jonathan Moffie, Head of Agentic Product at Magnite, stated: "Streamr.ai is built to remove barriers and make high-quality video production accessible to every business. Partnering with ITV to launch the GenAI Ads Manager brings that vision to life on the UK's biggest stage. Training a UK-specific model that automatically produces BCAP-compliant commercials has been especially exciting, as it reduces the clearance process. Together, we're enabling thousands of SMEs to create broadcast-ready ads in seconds, unlocking the full potential of TV advertising as a powerful growth driver."

Implications for advertising landscape

The platform launch occurs amid broader industry shifts toward programmatic and automated advertising solutions. Digital platforms have dominated SME advertising budgets through self-service interfaces and lower minimum spending requirements. Television broadcasters have responded by developing more accessible entry points for smaller advertisers.

The integration of generative AI into broadcast advertising production represents a notable development in media technology application. Unlike digital advertising platforms that offer templated solutions, the ITV system generates custom content while maintaining broadcast quality standards. This approach attempts to bridge the gap between digital advertising accessibility and television's production requirements.

ITV's broader strategy includes expanding its advertiser base beyond traditional large-budget clients. The broadcaster faces competition from streaming services and digital platforms for advertising revenue. Lowering barriers for SME participation expands the potential advertiser pool while filling inventory across broadcast and streaming properties.

The partnership structure places Magnite's technology within ITV's operational framework rather than offering a standalone service. This integration maintains the broadcaster's control over content quality and regulatory compliance while leveraging specialized AI capabilities. The model differs from purely third-party solutions by keeping production oversight within ITV's organizational structure.

Regulatory considerations

BCAP Code compliance remains central to the platform's design. UK broadcast advertising regulations govern content accuracy, decency, and commercial practices. The automated system must navigate these requirements while generating diverse advertisement types across multiple business categories.

The ClearCast review requirement maintains existing regulatory safeguards despite production automation. This dual-layer approach—automated BCAP compliance followed by human clearance review—attempts to balance efficiency with regulatory adherence. The clearance process timeline depends on advertisement complexity and potential compliance questions.

The UK-specific model training acknowledges regulatory variation across markets. Advertisement standards differ significantly between jurisdictions, requiring localized approaches for automated compliance systems. The platform's focus on UK regulations limits immediate international application but potentially enables future market-specific adaptations.

Economic factors

The low-cost entry package aims to attract businesses previously excluded from television advertising due to budget constraints. Specific pricing details were not disclosed in the announcement. The value proposition centers on reduced production costs and accelerated timeline compared to traditional methods.

SMEs allocating advertising budgets must weigh television's reach and credibility against digital platforms' targeting capabilities and measurement tools. The GenAI platform addresses production cost barriers but does not eliminate media buying expenses, which vary based on programming, timing, and audience reach.

The upgrade path to more crafted creative solutions suggests a tiered pricing model accommodating different budget levels and creative complexity requirements. This structure attempts to serve both cost-sensitive businesses seeking basic broadcast presence and those requiring more sophisticated creative execution.

Timeline

• September 2024: ITV announced expansion of commercial creative production service to include GenAI capabilities for SME advertisers
• October 8, 2025: ITV and Magnite announced partnership launching ITV GenAI Ads Manager platform
• October 9, 2025: Magnite published announcement details regarding streamr.ai integration with ITV systems

Related developments

• ITV's initial GenAI advertising announcement established the broadcaster's strategy for AI-assisted SME advertisement creation

Summary

Who: ITV, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, partnered with Magnite to develop the ITV GenAI Ads Manager platform for small and medium-sized enterprises.

What: The platform automates television advertisement creation using Magnite's streamr.ai technology, generating broadcast-ready commercials in under thirty seconds by analyzing businesses' existing online content including websites and social media profiles.

When: The partnership was announced October 8, 2025, building on ITV's September 2024 introduction of GenAI capabilities in its commercial creative production service.

Where: The platform operates within ITV's UK broadcast and streaming infrastructure, with all advertisements subject to ClearCast clearance under UK Code of Broadcast Advertising standards.

Why: The initiative aims to reduce barriers preventing SMEs from accessing television advertising by automating production processes and lowering costs, expanding ITV's advertiser base while addressing competition from digital advertising platforms.