Walmart acquires Vibe.co: CTV advertising and retail media

The timeline: from June to August 2026

Walmart's acquisition of Vibe.co was announced in June 2026. The deal was completed on August 4, as reported by TechCrunch . Things moved pretty quickly. This shows it's a huge strategic priority for Walmart's management.

Vibe.co is a CTV advertising platform — that is, connected TV, television consumed via internet-connected devices. Furthermore, the company offers targeting and measurement tools designed for advertisers who want to reach TV audiences with the precision of digital. Therefore, it is a technological asset, not simply a revenue acquisition.

The integration takes place within Walmart Connect, the group's retail media network. Walmart Connect is the structure that allows brands to advertise on Walmart's digital properties — website, app, and now also CTV channels. Therefore, the acquisition is not an isolated expansion, but a precise piece in a broader strategy.

Walmart Connect: the retail media network architecture

To understand the significance of this operation, it's useful to frame Walmart Connect within the context of global retail media. Retail media networks are advertising ecosystems built around consumer purchase data. In fact, those who shop at Walmart generate extremely valuable first-party data: product categories, purchase frequency, price sensitivity.

This data fuels highly targeted advertising campaigns. Similar to what Amazon did with Amazon Ads, Walmart has built an infrastructure that monetizes this knowledge. However, Walmart had a weak spot: the video and television component. Vibe.co fills exactly this gap.

According to the analyses of McKinsey , retail media is set to become one of the fastest-growing advertising segments in the coming years. Consequently, every major retailer is looking to build or acquire the necessary capabilities to compete on this front.

Winners: who gains from the deal

The first obvious winner is Walmart itself. The integration of Vibe.co allows the group to offer advertisers a high-impact ad format — CTV video — combined with real purchase data. This is a competitive advantage that is difficult for purely media players to replicate.

In particular, consumer brands that already invest in Walmart Connect will be able to extend their campaigns to the connected TV channel. This way, they can reach the same consumer at different moments of the purchase journey — from the inspiration phase (TV) to the conversion phase (e-commerce). This full-funnel approach is exactly what marketing managers are looking for today.

Beyond this, the founders and investors of Vibe.co achieve a strategic exit at a time when the CTV market is still consolidating. Among other things, entering the Walmart ecosystem means accessing a distribution scale otherwise unattainable for an independent platform.

Losers: who is feeling the pressure

The first subject under pressure is Amazon Ads. Until today, Amazon was the undisputed benchmark in retail media with advanced video capabilities. However, Walmart — with this acquisition — is getting significantly closer. The competition between the two giants now also shifts to the CTV arena.

Likewise, independent CTV platforms could face a contraction. When a player of Walmart's size enters the market with a proprietary solution, advertisers tend to consolidate their spending. As a result, smaller platforms risk losing budget to integrated and measurable ecosystems.

Finally, traditional agencies managing classic TV planning face a further acceleration of the migration to digital. CTV is no longer a niche format. On the contrary, it is becoming the new standard for high-precision video advertising.

CTV advertising in 2026: the numbers that matter

The connected TV advertising market is booming. According to eMarketer , global CTV ad spending surpassed $30 billion in 2025 and continues to grow double-digit. Furthermore, the penetration of CTV devices in European households has increased significantly in the last two years.

For Italian marketing managers, this data is not abstract. In fact, even in Italy, TV consumption is shifting towards streaming platforms and smart TVs. Consequently, advertising formats must follow this migration. Those who continue to invest exclusively in linear TV risk losing audience, especially in younger demographics.

CTV offers specific advantages over traditional TV. In particular, it allows targeting based on interests, purchasing behavior, and demographics. Therefore, the combination with retail media data — such as Walmart's — represents a qualitative leap in campaign precision.

SHM Studio's take: what changes for European brands

The Walmart-Vibe.co deal doesn't directly impact the Italian market in the short term. However, it sets a major precedent. We at SHM Studio have been spotting the convergence between retail media and video advertising in Europe for a while now.

Major European retailers — from Carrefour to Zalando, to Esselunga — are developing or strengthening their advertising networks. Therefore, brands that work with these commercial partners today will soon have to think in terms of retail media strategy, not just traditional trade marketing.

For Italian SMEs, the challenge is twofold. First of all, understanding if and when it is convenient to invest in these ecosystems. Then, developing creative content and formats suitable for CTV, which has different logic compared to display or social advertising. This requires specific skills in Digital marketing and in video content production.

who manages campaigns on Google Ads or Linkedin already knows that each platform requires a dedicated creative and strategic approach. CTV is no exception. In fact, the qualitative expectations for the video format are higher compared to display banners.

Retail media and AI: the still-open construction site

One aspect that clearly emerges from this acquisition is the growing role of artificial intelligence in retail media. Vibe.co, like many next-generation CTV platforms, uses optimization algorithms for targeting and measurement. Therefore, integration with Walmart Connect data can generate even more sophisticated predictive models.

The implications for those working in AI applied to marketing are relevant. In fact, the ability to connect offline and online purchase data with television advertising exposure represents a leap in understanding the customer journey. Consequently, attribution metrics can become more accurate and less dependent on last-click models.

However, this scenario also raises questions related to privacy and first-party data management. In Europe, GDPR imposes precise constraints. Therefore, European retailers who wish to replicate the Walmart model will have to navigate a more complex regulatory framework than in the United States.

Next moves: what to watch in the coming months

In the coming months, it will be interesting to monitor some specific dynamics. First of all, how Walmart will operationally integrate Vibe.co within Walmart Connect — timing, products, and commercial offering to advertisers. Then, whether other major global retailers will respond with similar acquisitions in the CTV segment.

Furthermore, it's worth noting the evolution of the European market. Retailers like Amazon — already present in Italy with Amazon Advertising — could accelerate their CTV offering in the national territory as well. Consequently, Italian marketing managers would do well to update themselves on these formats before they become market standards.

For those who want to dive deeper into the strategy of SEO and digital presence in a fast-changing landscape, the starting point is always content quality and knowing your audience. The strategic copywriting and a solid web architecture are the foundation on which to build any multichannel strategy, including video. For a direct comparison of the opportunities of retail media and CTV for your business, you can contact the SHM Studio team or check out the in-depth guides on Blog .