From: technobarbarian@gmail.com   
      
   In article , fphowell@usermail.com   
   says...   
   >   
   > I was wondering why Walmart bought Vizio for 2 billion. After watching   
   > cord cutters on YouTube I found out why. Since most of Vizio's TVs are   
   > smart TVs guess what commercials you will see? Maybe Walmart ads.   
   > With an annual shipment of over 200 million TVs this installed base is   
   > ripe for Ad rape.   
   >   
   > Also did anyone else when  they turned on their Roku get a long "terms   
   > of service" that must be agreed upon or a bricked Roku?   
      
        Did you read the terms of service before you bought your Roku   
   device(s)? Have you read them since then? I haven't. I clicked agree and   
   got on with life.   
      
        "Ad rape" sounds pretty severe. I hope you get some protection.   
   From my point of view it looks like it's pretty much business as usual,   
   just more so.   
      
   "What Walmart?s acquisition of Vizio could mean for the retailer?s ad   
   business   
      
   The retail giant could stand to benefit from new advertiser   
   relationships and customer data."   
      
   "The retail giant could stand to benefit in a number of ways from its   
   Vizio acquisition. For one, Walmart may be able to compete even more   
   with other lower-priced TV sets by allowing ?Walmart to prioritize   
   [Vizio?s] products,? according to a report from research firm   
   MoffettNathanson.   
      
   Beyond the devices themselves, Vizio brings with it a plethora of   
   existing advertiser relationships that Walmart could potentially benefit   
   from. The TV manufacturer grew its direct advertising partnerships by   
   32% year over year in the most recent quarter, inking deals with 117 net   
   new partners, Vizio reported in its Q4 2023 earnings. It also has   
   content partnerships to supply its WatchFree+ streamer, including   
   agreements with Magnolia Pictures, Paramount, and BBC Studios.   
      
   To grow its ad business, Walmart will likely look to leverage Vizio?s   
   SmartCast and grow its user base, Dan Rayburn, conference chairman of   
   the Streaming Summit at NAB Show, told Marketing Brew. (SmartCast is   
   Vizio?s CTV operating system that recommends content to users based on   
   their personal viewing habits.)   
      
   That could mean an uphill challenge: both Vizio?s user growth rate and   
   TV shipping numbers have decreased or remained flat in recent years.   
   Currently, Vizio SmartCast has 18.5 million active accounts, the company   
   reported in its Q4 2023 earnings release.   
      
   Ads sold through Walmart?s retail media network could stand to become   
   more lucrative through the Vizio acquisition, Jeremy Goldman, senior   
   director of marketing, commerce, and tech briefings at Insider   
   Intelligence, said. Walmart can identify products that may appeal to   
   individual consumers based on their Walmart purchase history, and can   
   market by region as well.   
      
   ?There are a lot of these SmartCast accounts that Vizio has,? Goldman   
   said. ?That connected data tied to a user profile can be very beneficial   
   in having highly targeted advertising?and the more targeted advertising   
   is, the more you generally charge for it.?"   
      
   https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2024/03/04/walmart-x-vizio-what-   
   the-acquisition-could-mean-for-the-retailer-s-ad-biz-and-ctv   
      
        Walmart is becoming more like Amazon, and Amazon is becoming more   
   like Walmart every day. Everyone else is getting in line, while the   
   retail business is rapidly evolving.   
      
   TB   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)