Walmart is in talks to buy smart TV and soundbar manufacturer VIZIO for more than $2 billion. That’s according to sources with The Wall Street Journal, who say that the retail giant, which currently enjoys a market cap of over $450 billion, is looking for a new way of expanding its advertising business and growing its ad revenue.
The WSJ noted:
- VIZIO is historically the largest television brand sold at Walmart by sales
- Discussions are ongoing, but a deal may not happen
- Walmart wants more money to spend on offering faster shipping and other services to compete with Amazon
- Amazon makes up 17% of the operating systems in connected TVs, versus VIZIO’s 8%
- Walmart earned around $2.7 billion in global advertising revenue for the previous 12 months
- William Wang, VIZIO CEO, is partially known for having “survived a catastrophic plane crash that killed around half of its passengers”
Features of Quantum Pro, VIZIO’s flagship TV:
- 65″/75″ options
- Quantum Color QLED
- Active Full Array w/ Local Dimming
- Up to 1000 Nits Peak Brightness
- Wide Viewing Angle + Anti-reflective Film
- Enhanced Dolby Vision HDR/HDRIO+ 120fps @4K, 240fps @1080p
- AMD FreeSync Premium Pro & VRR
- WiFi 6E Compatible & IQ Ultra+ Processor
- VIZIO Voice Remote
- Bluetooth Headphone Capable ThinFrame Design
- 2.1 HDMI – 4 Ports
VIZIO on its WatchFree+ streaming service, which reported a sizable increase in viewership this month:
Now with over 300 channels, 15,000 on-demand titles, 10 VIZIO-curated channels programmed in-house, and expanded studio partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery, Electric Entertainment, SONY, and Lionsgate, VIZIO continues its commitment to delivering a free, premium entertainment experience for millions of users. And the users love all the great content: WatchFree+ viewing hours have more than doubled over the past 12 months according to internal data.