• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

Anyone still wondering why Walmart spent $2.3 billion to buy Vizio just got a lesson at the Interactive Advertising Bureau NewFronts. More than a year after closing the acquisition, the retailer is highlighting some strategic payoffs, unveiling new integrations, branded content innovations, and new CTV campaign results.

The company is making the case that by scaling its content-to-commerce solution, it's driving measurable outcomes. It tapped retired NBA champion and Walmart superfan Shaquille O'Neal to host a session on the benefits of linking high-impact storytelling, retail behavior, and closed-loop measurement within a single ecosystem.

When the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer first announced the deal to acquire Vizio in February 2024 — closing it that December — many wondered not just at the cost, but at the logic of adding a manufacturer of value-priced TVs.

But there is justification for the purchase. Walmart serves approximately 150 million U.S. customers each week online and in stores, and many of them now watch TV on Vizio and Onn TV sets they purchased at the retailer.

Vizio's smart operating system securely connects ad engagement across CTV to purchases through closed-loop sales attribution, "helping brands drive awareness and engagement across the entire content lifecycle while unlocking new opportunities to show up where theatrical, streaming, and live sports fandom converge," the company said in the announcement.

Customers can use their Walmart account to access Smart TV features. The streamlined login simplifies setup and connects streaming engagement directly with retail behavior.

Walmart partnered with L'Oréal to showcase a first-to-market product placement powered by first-party customer insights. Creative extensions will span product pages and omnichannel retail touchpoints.

"This collaboration demonstrates the power of integrating premium storytelling with retail to inspire customers and drive measurable business impact within a closed-loop ecosystem," said Nora Wolfe, L'Oréal's U.S. head of media, in the press release.

Walmart says its successful CTV campaigns are already delivering outsized results. Campaigns run through Walmart Connect delivered a median 44% view rate for Café Bustelo, for example,  demonstrating a clear, direct linkage between premium storytelling and brand resonance.

Advertising is also driving outsized results for Walmart's balance sheet. In quarterly results released last month, Walmart execs said its advertising businesses increased 37% globally, including an acceleration in Walmart Connect in the U.S., which jumped 41%. And in ad results related to Vizio, it saw triple-digit growth.

"I really don't see that slowing down," said John David Rainey, Walmart's chief financial officer, on an earnings call. The Vizio business "is exciting because it gives us yet another channel to market to our customers…we still have a long way to go to get in the neighborhood of some of the best-in-class competitors. We feel we can improve our own advertising capabilities while doing it on a growing base, which gives us a lot of runway into the future."