A new report in the Wall Street Journal says that retail giant Walmart is in talks to buy Vizio's TV business. Such a move would give Walmart a big boost in the affordable TV market, where it currently offers its own Onn brand; and as the WSJ reports it would also give Walmart access to lots of customer data and ad revenues from Vizio's smart TV platform.
The cheap TV market is becoming quite the battleground, and both Amazon and Roku have started making their own TVs as well as streaming boxes and dongles. And they're pretty good: for example, late last year, we reported that Amazon and Roku faced a serious cheap TV challenger in the form of Vizio.
The firm's new 4K Quantum Pro TVs truly promised to give the best 4K TVs a run for their money. We also reviewed the Roku Plus series and the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED – both of which we found to be a great budget 4K QLED TVs.
This isn't Walmart's first smart TV rodeo
Walmart's smart TV adventures go beyond its own-brand TVs. It's previously partnered with Roku to create "shoppable ads", smart TV adverts that enable you to buy real products from your TV, and it's also partnered with marketing firm Innovid to bring its Walmart Connect to more tech platforms.
But the purchase of Vizio would open up a new front in the smart TV war, and it could also introduce a new way for Walmart to make money. As The Verge suggests, Walmart could start selling ad spots on its in-house TV displays to advertisers, something it's already doing with some TV brands.
For US TV buyers, Walmart's potential purchase of Vizio could also mean that more of its smart TVs are widely available to buy at the retailer's stories, which is of course very appealing – but it also means even more of a push towards data gathering and advertising sales, which is where the money is (profit margins at the lower end of the TV market are very thin).
For now, neither Walmart nor Vizio are willing to comment on the report. If there is indeed a sale, it'll be a few months before we see any changes on the Walmart retail floor. In the meantime, if you're looking for a great TV without paying a fortune, check out our guide to the best TV deals including some really great budget buys.
