Choose a provider by the job it must do. Licensing a named person's identity, generating a presenter video and monitoring likeness misuse solve different parts of an advertising workflow. A buyer may need more than one.
Publisher disclosure: Semblanse wrote this analysis and is included in it. We checked the first-party pages linked below on 26 October 2026. This is a selected map, not a complete market census, product trial or independent ranking. Vendor descriptions remain vendor assertions.
Four kinds of provider
| Category | Job | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing service | Agree use of a real person's identity | Exact creator, campaign scope, approvals and expiry |
| Generation platform | Make or edit outputs using avatars and models | Custom-creator support, asset terms and tool processing |
| Managed studio | Supply creative and production work | Whether rights and final review are included in the quote |
| Protection and rights infrastructure | Identify or manage suspected misuse | Coverage, permissions, evidence and escalation |
These categories can overlap. Managed production is a delivery arrangement; it does not by itself establish permission to use an identity.
Compare the published offers
Each source label identifies the first-party basis for its row. “Unconfirmed” means this review did not establish that detail; it does not mean a provider lacks consent controls. All rows were checked on 26 October 2026.
| Provider and source | Buyer/job and creator selection | Context and campaign review | Scope and model permissions | Production and posting | Availability and pricing basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semblanse · trust · pilot | Proposed licensing for recognizable niche creators; nominated creator fit assessed in scoping | Planned context capture and approval of each final ad | Proposed narrow campaign licence; no brand training grant; tools and processing agreed separately | Buyer production by default; pilot production may be discussed; creator posting optional | Pre-launch recruitment; campaign quote, no settled public price or API |
| HyperKnown · agreement | Real-person roster licensing; casting by look and fit | Brief acceptance described; confirm exact final-file review with provider | Defined use and term; creator agreement also addresses AI Characters and programme permissions | Buyer or agency makes outputs; audience distribution is separate | Request-access route; flat fee per person for defined use; current quote needed |
| Likeness.tv | Proposed marketplace for licensed real-person video | Planned brand/script permissions and finished-content checks | Intended campaign limits; says raw captures and reusable models would not be delivered | Planned in-platform video production; creator posts separate | In development; purchases, video creation and payouts unavailable; no confirmed price |
| Actorsy | Talent registry for AI media licensing | Source describes consent-based talent; exact per-ad review unconfirmed here | Confirm profile and agreement terms for intended use and model rights | Licensing infrastructure; production and posting duties need a quote | Public sign-up and studio route; campaign price unconfirmed here |
| Arcads | Video generation with an actor library or a custom avatar | Confirm custom-avatar consent and exact campaign review requirements | Tool and talent terms must cover the brief; no inferred absence of controls | Buyer uses generation/editing tools; creator posting not established by tool access | Public app route; confirm current plan and custom-avatar costs |
| HeyGen | Personal-avatar video generation | Confirm the named person's consent and campaign review separately | Check selected avatar, account and processing terms | Buyer or producer uses video tooling; posting rights need separate scope | Public sign-up; verify current plan, credits and intended ad use |
Read the profiles in context
Semblanse aims to connect recognizable creators' stories and boundaries to a narrow campaign. It still needs to test consent, delivery costs, review time and repeat demand. It has no published completed-pilot evidence. Explore our actual pilot scope.
HyperKnown publishes a roster-and-licence workflow with a request-access step and buyer-led production. Its creator agreement names Pylon Film Pty Ltd as operator. Our review did not test account access, fulfilment or enforcement. Its brief permissions should not be represented as proof that creators approve every generated final file. Compare the two offers.
Likeness.tv describes a future marketplace and in-platform video workflow. Its business page explicitly says making videos, licensing and payouts are not available yet. Its planned controls are not proof of a shipped approval system. Compare the development-stage approaches.
Actorsy describes a registry of consenting real people for AI productions. Check the named profile, permitted production and signed terms instead of treating a general consent statement as a licence for a particular ad.
Arcads and HeyGen belong here as production-tool adjacencies. Arcads explicitly advertises custom avatars as well as its library. A buyer who already has suitable creator permission may need a tool rather than another licensing service. Work through that choice.
What this map leaves out
We do not fill a numerical list with uncertain identities or thin evidence. CreatorAPI, CLUNNY, Mirror Mirror AI, LIKN, PersonaShare, Vermillio and Loti remain research candidates for this edition; their omission is not a finding about quality or consent. We have not established a source-backed managed-studio or protection-provider profile in this edition.
The Likeness Index methodology describes an index of authorized licensing sources. It is a discovery aid, not the licensor for listed talent. Check the originating provider before using an asset.
Questions for buyers and investors
Ask who signs the licence, whose identity is supplied, whether a creator is selected for recognition or casting fit, and who writes and produces the ads. Separate brand permission, script review and final-file approval. Request the actual term, territory, channels, sample recipients, training permissions, retention and stop process.
For company diligence, distinguish a public roster, open account, quoted offer, signed campaign, launched campaign and collected revenue. Marketing pages do not establish transaction volume, creator willingness, legal enforcement or a performance premium. Compare total costs for the same accepted outputs, not raw render counts.
Read the category reference, trust approach and brand service before discussing a pilot.
Found a factual error or a changed offer? Send a correction to the team. These pages explain buying and planning choices; they do not replace a signed agreement or advice on your campaign.