Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features
Summary
Ars Technica reports that select newly purchased Vizio TVs require a Walmart account to complete onboarding and access smart features via Vizio OS. Walmart’s involvement follows its 2024 acquisition of Vizio and aims to tie streaming engagement to retail interaction and ad targeting. The piece notes existing Vizio accounts can be merged with Walmart accounts, that privacy is claimed to be respected, and discusses potential expansion to more models and broader implications for consumer data and advertising.