Walmart is considering buying smart TV manufacturer Vizio, The Wall Street Journal reported on Feb. 13. The deal, which could include registered users, data, and in-store ad capabilities for Walmart, would be worth $2 billion, sources told the WSJ.

More than 70% of Vizio’s TVs are already sold at Walmart, Reuters reported. The deal would give Walmart control over more than 20% of the U.S. TV market.

Following the report, Vizio shares jumped 36% before closing the day up 24.6%. Meanwhile, competitor Roku’s shares fell 9% on Tuesday.

Walmart is No. 2 in the Top 1000, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North America’s leading retailers by online sales. Vizio ranks No. 397. Walmart is also No. 9 in the Global Online Marketplaces Database, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the top 100 online marketplaces by gross merchandise value (GMV).

Walmart and Vizio did not respond to requests for comment.

Walmart and Vizio see an advertising opportunity

A deal with Vizio could be good for Walmart Connect, Walmart’s U.S. advertising business launched in 2021. Walmart could gain access to Vizio’s nearly 18 million active users, ad viewership data, and potentially the ability to track purchases to those ad views.

Walmart Connect generated about $3 billion in sales last year and is growing quickly. In a third-quarter earnings call, chief financial officer John David Rainey said sales increased 26% year over year. Rainey said advertising will likely continue to play a large role and drive Walmart’s profitability thanks to its higher margins as compared to groceries.

In March 2023, Walmart announced it would offer personalized ads on connected TVs through a partnership with advertising company Innovid. The ads used artificial intelligence (AI) to tailor messages to audiences.

The retailer previously partnered with Vizio’s rival Roku on shoppable ads in 2022. More recently, Walmart inked a deal with NBCUniversal in November to place shoppable ads on the streaming platform Peacock. The ads gave consumers the chance to buy Walmart items featured in select Bravo shows.

Vizio also ventured into shoppable ads with a branded content series with Home Depot last year.

Home Depot ranks No. 4 in the Top 1000.

In-store advertising

Vizio coming under the Walmart umbrella also presents an opportunity for displaying ads on TVs in Walmart stores. 

Walmart has a wider reach than the largest TV network, Ryan Mayward, senior vice president of retail media sales at Walmart Connect, said at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in January. He explained that retailers are increasingly allocating their marketing budgets to in-store uses. Walmart is experimenting with new ways to advertise in stores, including on TV screens in the electronics section, on screens in the deli and bakery sections, and on self-checkout screens.

“Physical retail is the new TV” for advertisers in terms of scale, brand safety and reaching the right audience, said Andrew Lipsman, principal analyst of retail and ecommerce at Insider Intelligence.

Competition with Amazon

Acquiring a Smart TV manufacturer would put Walmart further in competition with Amazon. Amazon ranks No. 1 in the Top 1000, and No. 3 in the marketplaces database.

Amazon owns its own line of smart TVs, branded as Fire TV.  In 2023, Amazon crossed the threshold of 200 million Fire TV devices sold. The Fire TV stick was also the only Amazon product among the top five bestsellers on Prime Day this year, the online retailer said.

17% of connected TV operating systems are owned by Amazon, while 8% use Vizio’s OS. Roku has a larger market share than both at 25%, the WSJ reported.

Amazon also has its own advertising business, which generated $24.65 billion in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2023. Amazon’s ad sales were about 10 times the size of Walmart’s in 2023.

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