Walmart Acquires Vizio for $2.3 Billion to Boost Smart TV Advertising
Gizmodo
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Contributed by: Drex DeFord
Summary
Walmart has acquired Vizio, the TV manufacturer, for $2.3 billion to enhance its advertising capabilities by leveraging Vizio's SmartCast operating system. This strategic move allows Walmart to use Vizio's smart TVs as a platform for its Walmart Connect advertising service, targeting millions of viewers with personalized ads. Vizio, which operates independently under CEO William Wang, has an existing ad-supported streaming service, and the acquisition facilitates a sharing of user data that could improve targeted advertising efforts. Despite past controversies related to user data privacy, Vizio remains a significant player in the advertising sector.