The news: Walmart Connect is partnering with NBCUniversal (NBCU) to run ads powered by Walmart shopper data in sports livestreams, per a company announcement.

• Walmart is also adding premium inventory from NBCU and Roku to its CTV offering, giving brands even more opportunities to reach shoppers on streaming platforms.

Zoom in: Walmart Connect’s ability to combine premium CTV inventory with its purchase data offers advertisers a unique opportunity to target viewers with more granularity and directly measure the impact on sales.

• For example, Danone “connected with over 30% new-to-brand buyers in one CTV campaign” using Walmart Connect’s premium bundle, per Danone director of media connections Mary Katherine Woltz.
• Walmart Connect’s CTV success is carrying over to shoppable ads, which the retailer piloted on Roku from November 2022 to February 2023. Clickthrough rates for these ads were at least three times higher than the average for video campaigns run through Walmart’s DSP.

The big takeaway: It’s unsurprising that Walmart is deepening its CTV presence. While CTV will make up just 1.8% of total retail media spend in 2023, the market is growing rapidly: We expect retail media CTV ad spending to grow by 79.5% this year. CTV is also expected to be the fastest-growing ad channel this year, making it an attractive target for retailers looking to grow their ad business.

Go further: Check out our latest coverage on retail media networks.