Walmart has announced its intent to acquire Vibe.co, a self-serve connected TV (CTV) advertising platform. This acquisition aims to integrate Vibe.co's platform into Walmart Connect, Walmart's commerce media business, making TV advertising more accessible and measurable for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and mid-market advertisers. The deal is expected to close by the end of fiscal year 2027, with no anticipated impact on Walmart's FY27 sales and operating income growth guidance. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
This move furthers Walmart's strategy to develop comprehensive, full-funnel advertising solutions. By combining Vibe.co's platform with Walmart's extensive commerce audiences, closed-loop measurement capabilities, and growing media ecosystem—which includes VIZIO—Walmart Connect seeks to enable more advertisers to launch CTV campaigns and accurately measure their business impact. Vibe.co's platform offers features such as self-serve campaign activation, direct supply partner integrations, proprietary advertising technology, and performance-driven optimization.
The acquisition is a strategic enhancement to Walmart Connect's existing solutions and ongoing investments, which include recent partnerships with Magnite, Yahoo DSP, and Google DV360. This integration, alongside Walmart's earlier acquisition of VIZIO, is designed to simplify activation, improve targeting, and provide measurable outcomes across its expanding CTV ecosystem. Ryan Mayward, general manager and senior vice president of Walmart Connect U.S., emphasized that Vibe.co's platform simplifies streaming TV advertising and will help businesses connect with customers and measure campaign impact through Walmart's commerce capabilities. Following the transaction's close, Vibe.co co-founders Arthur Querou and Frank Tetzlaff will join Walmart Connect.
Walmart Connect has been experiencing significant growth, with its global advertising revenue increasing by 37% and Walmart Connect U.S. growing by 44% (excluding VIZIO) in the most recent quarter. The company's retail media arm reported $1.2 billion in advertising revenue for the quarter ending May 31, surpassing many internal forecasts and outpacing Amazon's Sponsored Products unit in comparable marketplace segments. This growth is attributed to factors like Walmart's in-store media network, its Luminate data platform, and the expansion of its Walmart+ membership, which now includes over 28 million paid subscribers.
