By Alyssa Boyle
This piece was originally published on Chief Marketer Network brand AdExchanger.
During their first combined NewFronts event as a fully integrated company, Walmart and Vizio execs announced that unified account logins are coming to smart TVs using Vizio’s operating system. The unified login experience establishes a “secure identity framework across devices, connecting streaming engagement directly with retail interaction,” according to the company blog post published early on Monday. And that identity framework creates a major advertising and data opportunity for advertisers – for details, go here
By centralizing streaming data within Vizio’s OS, Walmart hopes for a leg up in its battle against Roku, Amazon, Samsung and other streaming distributors that are competing for growth within the overall CTV ad ecosystem. During last year’s NewFronts event, just months after Walmart closed its acquisition of the TV manufacturer, the synergistic growth opportunities were hypothetical, Mike O’Donnell, chief revenue and strategic growth officer at Vizio, told the audience in New York City during the joint presentation.
Back then, the news was “about the potential that had us all excited,” he said. “Today, we’re here to show how that potential has turned into real impact.”
This week’s announcement about the eventual phaseout of Vizio login credentials in favor of Walmart accounts is the next step toward turning that potential into a reality.
