Walmart is deepening its investment in commerce media and connected TV advertising with the planned acquisition of Vibe.co, a self-serve CTV advertising platform focused on small and mid-sized businesses. The deal, which will integrate Vibe.co into Walmart Connect, signals Walmart's continued push to build a more comprehensive advertising ecosystem that combines retail media, streaming television, commerce data, and closed-loop measurement capabilities. The move also strengthens Walmart's position in the increasingly competitive retail media and connected TV markets, where major players are racing to connect advertising exposure directly to purchasing behavior.

The convergence of retail media and connected TV advertising is accelerating, and Walmart is making another strategic move to capitalize on the trend.

The retail giant announced an agreement to acquire Vibe.co, a self-service connected TV advertising platform designed to simplify campaign management for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and mid-market brands. While financial terms were not disclosed, the acquisition underscores Walmart's ambition to expand Walmart Connect into a broader commerce media platform that spans digital advertising, streaming television, and retail transactions.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, with both companies expecting completion by the end of Walmart's fiscal year 2027.

The deal comes at a time when connected TV has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the advertising industry.

As consumers continue shifting viewing habits from traditional television to streaming services, advertisers are increasingly allocating budgets toward CTV inventory. Yet despite strong audience growth, many brands—particularly SMBs—still face challenges navigating fragmented inventory sources, complex buying processes, and limited visibility into campaign performance.

Vibe.co was built to address those challenges.

The platform offers self-serve campaign activation, automated optimization, direct integrations with supply partners, and tools that make streaming television advertising more accessible to performance marketers. Its approach mirrors the simplicity of social advertising platforms, allowing marketers to launch and manage television campaigns without the infrastructure traditionally required for media buying.

For Walmart Connect, the acquisition adds a key missing layer to its growing advertising ecosystem.

Over the past several years, Walmart has aggressively expanded its retail media business, leveraging shopper data, first-party audience insights, and commerce measurement capabilities to attract advertising spend. The retailer has also strengthened its position in connected TV through its acquisition of VIZIO, which gave Walmart access to a significant smart TV footprint and additional consumer viewing data.

By adding Vibe.co's self-service platform, Walmart Connect gains a technology layer that could make connected TV campaigns more accessible to a broader advertiser base.

The strategic significance extends beyond media buying.

One of the most valuable aspects of retail media is its ability to connect advertising exposure directly to consumer purchases. Unlike traditional television advertising, commerce media platforms can provide advertisers with clearer attribution and measurable business outcomes.

Integrating Vibe.co with Walmart's commerce data infrastructure could allow advertisers to target audiences across streaming environments while measuring the impact of campaigns on actual shopping behavior.

This capability is becoming increasingly important as advertisers demand greater accountability for media investments.

According to eMarketer, retail media continues to be one of the fastest-growing advertising channels globally, while connected TV spending is expected to maintain strong growth as streaming audiences expand. The intersection of these two sectors is creating a new category often referred to as commerce media, where retailers use transaction data to improve advertising effectiveness and measurement.

Walmart's latest move positions the company to compete more directly with other major commerce media and advertising ecosystems.

Industry leaders such as Amazon, Google, and The Trade Desk have all invested heavily in connected TV infrastructure, audience targeting capabilities, and performance measurement tools. Retailers are increasingly seeking to differentiate themselves by combining first-party commerce data with premium media inventory and advanced advertising technology.

The acquisition also reflects a broader industry shift toward self-service advertising.

Many SMBs and emerging brands lack dedicated media teams or agency support, making traditional television advertising difficult to access. Self-service platforms lower those barriers by enabling advertisers to create, launch, optimize, and measure campaigns through intuitive interfaces.

For Walmart's growing marketplace ecosystem, this capability could prove especially valuable.

Thousands of third-party sellers operating on Walmart Marketplace are already familiar with performance-based digital advertising. Extending similar capabilities into connected TV could create new opportunities for sellers seeking to increase brand awareness and drive sales through streaming channels.

The deal also complements Walmart Connect's existing partnerships with advertising and technology providers, including integrations involving Google DV360, Yahoo DSP, and Magnite. Rather than building a closed ecosystem, Walmart continues to emphasize interoperability with publishers, broadcasters, supply-side platforms, and measurement providers.

That open approach could help accelerate adoption among advertisers seeking flexibility across multiple media environments.

Following the acquisition, Vibe.co's leadership team, including CEO and Co-Founder Arthur Querou and CTO and Co-Founder Franck Tetzlaff, are expected to join Walmart Connect. Their expertise in connected TV technology, self-service advertising platforms, and performance optimization will likely play a central role in integrating Vibe's capabilities into Walmart's broader media strategy.

As retail media networks evolve into full-scale advertising platforms, the distinction between commerce, media, and entertainment continues to blur. Walmart's acquisition of Vibe.co reflects this transformation and highlights how retailers are increasingly positioning themselves as major players in the future of digital advertising.

For advertisers, particularly SMBs and mid-market brands, the transaction could make connected TV advertising easier to access, more measurable, and more closely tied to business outcomes than ever before.

Market Landscape

The connected TV advertising market is experiencing rapid growth as consumers increasingly migrate from traditional television to streaming platforms. According to Insider Intelligence (eMarketer), CTV ad spending continues to rise as brands seek premium video inventory combined with digital targeting and measurement capabilities.

At the same time, retail media networks have emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of digital advertising. Companies including Amazon, Walmart, and other major retailers are leveraging first-party commerce data to create advertising ecosystems that provide advertisers with closed-loop attribution and measurable sales outcomes. The convergence of retail media and connected TV is creating new opportunities for brands to combine audience reach, commerce intelligence, and performance measurement within a single advertising environment.

Top Insights

•  Walmart plans to acquire Vibe.co to expand Walmart Connect's connected TV advertising capabilities and strengthen its commerce media ecosystem.
• Vibe.co's self-service platform simplifies CTV campaign activation, helping SMBs and mid-market advertisers access streaming TV advertising more efficiently.
• The acquisition combines Walmart's commerce data, closed-loop measurement, and VIZIO assets with Vibe.co's advertising technology and optimization tools.
• Connected TV and retail media are increasingly converging as advertisers seek measurable links between advertising exposure and purchasing behavior.
• Walmart continues to build a comprehensive advertising platform capable of competing with major commerce media and digital advertising ecosystems.

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