Observed Signal · Apr 27, 2026 · Product Launch · Source: Adweek · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Walmart Launches Connect Select Streaming Ad Marketplace
Walmart has launched Connect Select, a new marketplace that makes streaming TV inventory available to buy through Walmart DSP alongside search and display ads. Advertisers using the platform can buy inventory on Vizio and premium publishers including Warner Bros. Discovery. The rollout also connects Walmart’s seller-side capability (referred to as Connect Seller) into supply-side platforms FreeWheel, Index Exchange, Magnite and PubMatic. Walmart says the move is intended to open upper-funnel streaming ad opportunities to small and medium-sized businesses selling on its third-party marketplace. The announcement was reported by Adweek and includes commentary from Ryan Mayward, SVP and general manager of Walmart Connect.
Expands a major retailer's retail media offering into streaming/CTV and integrates with major SSPs, widening programmatic access for SMB advertisers and shifting retail DSP capability toward upper-funnel inventory.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Walmart launched a streaming ad marketplace called Connect Select.
- Connect Select makes streaming TV ads available to buy through Walmart DSP alongside search and display inventory.
- Advertisers can buy inventory on Vizio and on premium publishers, including Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Walmart's seller-side offering (Connect Seller) is connected to SSPs FreeWheel, Index Exchange, Magnite and PubMatic.
- Walmart says the marketplace aims to make TV ads more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses on its third-party marketplace.
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Walmart Connect: Retail DSP with Vizio CTV Inventory
Walmart Connect is Walmart’s retail media demand-side platform (DSP) that combines Walmart’s first‑party shopper data with programmatic and Connected TV (CTV) inventory. The platform is owned by Walmart Inc. and integrates CTV reach after Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio, linking more than 150 million weekly shoppers to Vizio/WatchFree+ inventory. Walmart Connect emphasizes closed‑loop measurement that traces ad exposure through to in‑store purchase. The publisher page lists the platform as a DSP and positions it at the intersection of retail media, CTV distribution, and closed‑loop attribution.
Walmart Acquires Vibe.co to Scale Self-Serve CTV
Walmart announced an agreement to acquire Vibe.co, a connected-TV advertising platform built for small and mid-sized businesses. Vibe.co offers a self-serve CTV on-ramp with direct supply integrations, AI optimization, and performance measurement and serves more than 10,000 advertisers. The acquisition gives Walmart a channel to scale demand across its 100,000+ marketplace sellers and to connect self-serve streaming ads with Walmart’s first-party purchase signals (claimed access to 90 million verified purchase households and Vizio’s 20 million ad-supported homes). The move shifts Walmart Connect from outsourcing demand aggregation to internalizing it, with implied competitive pressure on independent DSPs and other streaming ad sellers. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by the end of fiscal year 2027; financial terms were not disclosed.
Walmart Expands Retail Media via Google YouTube Deal
Walmart Connect has struck a partnership with Google that lets advertisers target Walmart shoppers with video ads on YouTube and measure when those ads drive sales. The deal builds on Walmart Connect’s recent moves to broaden its offsite retail-media distribution — including dropping exclusivity with The Trade Desk last year and a May agreement with Magnite to place inventory on Vizio smart TVs via Yahoo’s DSP. Executives say the tie-up aims to make it easier for brands to reach Walmart shoppers across streaming TV platforms as ad dollars shift toward CTV and video.
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