Patrick Seitz of Investor’s Business Daily is reporting that Walmart is in talks to buy TV maker Vizio, a deal worth more than $2 billion. They write:
Retail giant Walmart (WMT) is looking to follow Amazon (AMZN) in the market for internet television advertising by buying smart TV maker Vizio (VZIO), the Wall Street Journal reported. Vizio stock surged on the news, while rival Roku (ROKU) fell.
The Journal late Tuesday said Walmart is in talks to buy Vizio in a deal worth more than $2 billion. The acquisition would give Walmart a new online platform to sell advertising and pitch products to consumers.
Vizio already has a close relationship with Walmart as the biggest TV brand sold in its stores. […]
Roku has 25% share of the connected TV market, based on smart TV operating systems in use, according to Parks Associates. Amazon makes up 17% of the market with its Fire TV operating system. Vizio’s operating system controls 8% of the market.
On Jan. 29, Amazon started serving ads to all of its Amazon Prime TV subscribers. Customers who want an ad-free TV experience now have to pay $3 more a month.
Read more here.
