Walmart expands reach of retail media network with new partnerships
Walmart is providing advertisers access to Walmart audiences and measurement on Spotify, Yahoo DSP and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The retailer is enabling brands participating in its Walmart Connect retail media network to reach and measure its customers across more channels. At its annual Partner Connect retail media network event, Walmart announced new and expanded collaborations with Spotify, Yahoo DSP, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
[READ MORE: Walmart revamping, expanding ad business; adding new platform]
Following are highlights of each partnership:
Spotify
Walmart is partnering with Spotify to help advertisers reach both existing and prospective Walmart customers in the Spotify streaming environment across music, podcasts and video content. Through the Walmart demand-side platform (DSP), U.S. advertisers can gain access to Walmart audiences and closed-loop measurement across Spotify’s audio, video and display ad formats.
Yahoo DSP
Building on a program that initially launched in pilot phase in May, Walmart is enabling Walmart Connect advertisers to purchase and measure results of targeted ads across connected TV (CTV) platforms such as the Vizio connected TV/streaming platform, which is a wholly owned Walmart subsidiary, via Yahoo DSP on the Magnite modular ad platform.
Building on early results, Walmart is moving the product into alpha test phase and expanding beyond Vizio to include CTV inventory from additional publishers. Magnite will continue to provide the sell-side technology supporting the integration.
Warner Bros. Discovery
For the first time, Walmart Connect advertisers can use Walmart audiences for addressable targeting across live linear television. Through private marketplace deals available in Walmart DSP, advertisers can now access a Warner Bros. Discovery offering that combines their streaming portfolio and select live linear inventory together, with Walmart audiences and closed-loop measurement. The deals are enabled through FreeWheel programmatic technology.
Walmart Connect advertisers can programmatically access live linear inventory across Warner Bros. Discovery properties TBS, TLC, truTV, HLN and Food Network, with more inventory planned over time.
“Together, these expansions help advertisers reach Walmart customers across more of the places they spend time, with more flexibility in how they buy and consistent measurement connecting media investment to Walmart sales,” Khurrum Malik, VP of business & product marketing, Walmart Connect, said in a corporate blog post.
Other notable expansions of Walmart Connect capabilities that have been introduced this year include enabling brands to place streaming video ads on YouTube using the Google Display & Video 360 marketing platform, allowing advertisers to securely share Walmart first-party operational and retail data through scalable API access with their agency and tech partners, streamlining CTV ad activation, unveiling new social media offerings, and testing an agentic AI "super agent” nicknamed “Marty.”
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,900 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.
