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Walmart Connect has introduced new ways for advertisers to activate connected TV campaigns at scale, with a focus on making CTV more accessible for brands beyond large enterprise advertisers.

The announcement centers on two updates: the launch of Connect Select, a curated marketplace inside Walmart DSP, and expanded integrations with ad technology partners. Together, these updates are designed to simplify how advertisers plan, launch, manage, and measure full-funnel campaigns across Walmart’s media ecosystem.

Connected TV is becoming a stronger part of retail media because shoppers are increasingly discovering products through streaming content, not just search or marketplace browsing. Walmart Connect noted that its CTV campaigns delivered a median of 44% new-to-brand buyers in FY26, showing how CTV can support product discovery and audience expansion.

Connect Select gives advertisers access to curated omnichannel inventory, especially CTV placements, through Walmart DSP. Instead of navigating fragmented supply sources, advertisers can discover recommended deals aligned with goals such as brand awareness, product launches, and customer discovery. Launch partners include VIZIO, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, FreeWheel, Index Exchange, Magnite, and PubMatic.

The bigger value lies in Walmart’s first-party shopper data. By combining CTV exposure with Walmart’s measurement capabilities, advertisers can connect upper-funnel media activity to actual shopper behavior. This helps brands understand whether CTV campaigns are influencing discovery, conversions, and overall media efficiency, instead of only tracking impressions.

Walmart Connect is also expanding campaign management through technology partners. This means advertisers can manage Walmart DSP activity alongside onsite display and sponsored search, giving them a more unified view of Walmart media performance.

For brands and marketplace sellers, this signals Walmart’s larger push to make retail media more full-funnel. Advertising on Walmart is no longer limited to sponsored search or onsite placements. With programmatic CTV, sellers can reach shoppers earlier in the buying journey, build brand recall, and measure how awareness-driven campaigns contribute to business outcomes.

In short, Walmart Connect is reducing the complexity of CTV advertising by combining curated premium inventory, direct supply paths, first-party shopper data, and integrated campaign management. For advertisers, especially mid-sized brands, this could make streaming advertising easier to activate, measure, and optimize within the Walmart ecosystem.

Source: https://www.walmartconnect.com/resources/articles/2026/new-pathways-to-programmatic-CTV-at-scale

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