6 ms·

Walmart in talks to buy TV maker Vizio for more than $2B

37 points by KoftaBob 3y ago

bombcar 3y ago
Walmart has a TV brand, and I don't really see why buying (and destroying) Vizio would help them to the tune of $2B. Vizio is one of the better "bargain" brands in my experience.
- Anechoic 3y ago
  It would also give Walmart access to the breadth of customer data collected by Vizio’s smart TV platform and the revenue stream created by serving up personalized ads and taking a cut of subscription fees.
  - bombcar 3y ago
    https://www.streamtvinsider.com/advertising/vizio-device-sales-dip-ad-revenue-continues-climb-q2 https://www.streamtvinsider.com/advertising/vizio-device-sal... I guess the numbers kind of work, $80m a quarter profit is $320m a year, which is roughly commensurate with the rumored purchase price.
  - crowcroft 3y ago
    This is an interesting angle considering Walmart wants to (and probably already does) make a meaningful amount of revenue from selling ads, like Amazon.
- zikduruqe 3y ago
  Spectre?
  - bombcar 3y ago
    Onn is the Walmart tech brand, which is decent for "need it quick".
ncneieixk5 3y ago
“Don’t skimp and get the Vizio, get what you deserve, get the Sony” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eyJxkc6Xz4&pp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eyJxkc6Xz4&pp
- psyclobe 3y ago
  Nothing beats a Sony, remotes all the same, simple hackable android based os. Recently I made the mistake of getting a lg... nothing but problems with hdmi cec, stupid remote, lame os; wish I would’ve stuck with the Sony…
  - tonyhb 3y ago
    I agree, but still find it weird — Sony use LG (or Samsung, depending on the model) panels in their TVs, so you'd assume that "going to the source" would be better.
    - Workaccount2 3y ago
      Sony uses Samsung panel for their top-end OLED. What gives them the edge over samsung is that their image processing is the best in the industry.
- garrickvanburen 3y ago
  I’ve found Rokus to be the sweet spot of price and usability and quality.
- creaghpatr 3y ago
  First thing I thought of when I saw this article
spicyusername 3y ago
Vizio TVs are cheap, but the usability is awful. Slow, ad-ridden, always-online, and a limited ability to configure how the TV behaves. You get what you pay for.
- HWR_14 3y ago
  How does a TV not work if it's not online? How does a TV get ads if it's not online? Seems like you just don't connect it to the internet. Meanwhile, that surprises me. I thought Vizios were good cheap TVs. Maybe that is a reputation from a long time ago?
  - vladvasiliu 3y ago
    This. I have a TCL TV which has great picture and nice-enough audio but the "smart" part isn't great at all. Slow, random ads, etc. It was my first smart tv so I was curious to try it. Then I went and factory-reset the thing, unplugged the ethernet cable, and now it works like a dumb TV. I'm very happy with it. It still shows a popup when turned on that I don't have internet, but that's about it. It'll automatically switch to the latest used input when starting up. The two things that bother me is that it takes ages to boot up if the "quick start-up" is disabled (basically it needs to boot the whole google tv os), and the LED is quite bright at night (but it can be disabled, just not dimmed). It also seems to have no battery for the RTC, so if I unplug it, it will forget the time when I turn it on again (since it doesn't have an internet connection, it never gets to sync).
    - toomuchtodo 3y ago
      I recently had to have some warranty work done on a TCL TV due to a failed board and the process was absolutely horrendous. Just a heads up.
      - somehnguy 3y ago
        I think that may be a universal experience with TV repairs, based on a friends experience with a name brand. He had to bring it to a local repair shop where they then held it for over 6 months. Maybe he was just unlucky.
bearjaws 3y ago
The FTC just needs a new law based on anti-trust that says multi billion dollar companies can't buy other billion dollar companies. Period. Name the last time a multi-billion dollar merger worked for consumers.
- Workaccount2 3y ago
  It doesn't really, but this leads to a situation where leadership kneecaps growth or hastily sells when around a $999 million valuation.
  - bearjaws 3y ago
    I can assure you, every founder I've worked with would go public before kneecapping growth or value. It's not like when you sell your company you actually get all your equity as cash, you are certainly still working at your company for a year or more afterwards, with performance incentive stock options based on growth...
    - mbesto 3y ago
      > company you actually get all your equity as cash But many times you get a significant portion, enough that many founders can simply coast and it doesn't matter. > you are certainly still working at your company for a year or more afterwards, with performance incentive stock The meme of founders who sell their companies to Google and just sit there and do nothing has some truth to it. Btw - when you go public you now have a very different set of "still working at your company" set of challenges and probably far worse with much more public scrutiny. You now answer to securities analysts, shareholders, lawyers, etc.
- robin_reala 3y ago
  Beats. Pretty shitty before the merger, much better quality afterwards.
  - bearjaws 3y ago
    I'd argue it's about the same, maybe slightly stronger focus on build quality. Bought the studio buds plus and they don't hold a candle to Airpods. Gee I wonder why Beats doesn't have a direct competitors to Airpods?
alephnerd 3y ago
Makes sense. Vizio largely just assembles TVs specifically by purchasing parts from local ODMs in China, Taiwan, Mexico, VN, etc. It's basically just a brandname slapped on generic tv manufacturers. Walmart has a similar operation, and they are probably going to acquire Vizio to make a secondary upsell within Walmart.
josefresco 3y ago
We've had pretty good luck with Insignia (in-house Best Buy brand) for a "cheap TV solution".
chankstein38 3y ago
Vizio make some of the best soundbars I've owned or experienced... Hopefully that doesn't change if Walmart buys them. I always assumed Vizio was a "Walmart Brand" anyway...
- glimshe 3y ago
  Their soundbars are the best for the price. They are not great, but certainly better than competitors (such as Samsung) if you are in the low end of the market.
everdrive 3y ago
Vizio used to make good, cheap panels. When they switched to smart TVs, the consumer experience degraded in the expected ways.

37 points by KoftaBob 3y ago

Walmart has a TV brand, and I don't really see why buying (and destroying) Vizio would help them to the tune of $2B. Vizio is one of the better "bargain" brands in my experience.

Anechoic 3y ago
It would also give Walmart access to the breadth of customer data collected by Vizio’s smart TV platform and the revenue stream created by serving up personalized ads and taking a cut of subscription fees.
- bombcar 3y ago
  https://www.streamtvinsider.com/advertising/vizio-device-sales-dip-ad-revenue-continues-climb-q2 https://www.streamtvinsider.com/advertising/vizio-device-sal... I guess the numbers kind of work, $80m a quarter profit is $320m a year, which is roughly commensurate with the rumored purchase price.
- crowcroft 3y ago
  This is an interesting angle considering Walmart wants to (and probably already does) make a meaningful amount of revenue from selling ads, like Amazon.
zikduruqe 3y ago
Spectre?
- bombcar 3y ago
  Onn is the Walmart tech brand, which is decent for "need it quick".

ncneieixk5 3y ago

“Don’t skimp and get the Vizio, get what you deserve, get the Sony” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eyJxkc6Xz4&pp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eyJxkc6Xz4&pp

psyclobe 3y ago
Nothing beats a Sony, remotes all the same, simple hackable android based os. Recently I made the mistake of getting a lg... nothing but problems with hdmi cec, stupid remote, lame os; wish I would’ve stuck with the Sony…
- tonyhb 3y ago
  I agree, but still find it weird — Sony use LG (or Samsung, depending on the model) panels in their TVs, so you'd assume that "going to the source" would be better.
  - Workaccount2 3y ago
    Sony uses Samsung panel for their top-end OLED. What gives them the edge over samsung is that their image processing is the best in the industry.
garrickvanburen 3y ago
I’ve found Rokus to be the sweet spot of price and usability and quality.
creaghpatr 3y ago
First thing I thought of when I saw this article

spicyusername 3y ago

Vizio TVs are cheap, but the usability is awful. Slow, ad-ridden, always-online, and a limited ability to configure how the TV behaves. You get what you pay for.

HWR_14 3y ago
How does a TV not work if it's not online? How does a TV get ads if it's not online? Seems like you just don't connect it to the internet. Meanwhile, that surprises me. I thought Vizios were good cheap TVs. Maybe that is a reputation from a long time ago?
- vladvasiliu 3y ago
  This. I have a TCL TV which has great picture and nice-enough audio but the "smart" part isn't great at all. Slow, random ads, etc. It was my first smart tv so I was curious to try it. Then I went and factory-reset the thing, unplugged the ethernet cable, and now it works like a dumb TV. I'm very happy with it. It still shows a popup when turned on that I don't have internet, but that's about it. It'll automatically switch to the latest used input when starting up. The two things that bother me is that it takes ages to boot up if the "quick start-up" is disabled (basically it needs to boot the whole google tv os), and the LED is quite bright at night (but it can be disabled, just not dimmed). It also seems to have no battery for the RTC, so if I unplug it, it will forget the time when I turn it on again (since it doesn't have an internet connection, it never gets to sync).
  - toomuchtodo 3y ago
    I recently had to have some warranty work done on a TCL TV due to a failed board and the process was absolutely horrendous. Just a heads up.
    - somehnguy 3y ago
      I think that may be a universal experience with TV repairs, based on a friends experience with a name brand. He had to bring it to a local repair shop where they then held it for over 6 months. Maybe he was just unlucky.

bearjaws 3y ago

The FTC just needs a new law based on anti-trust that says multi billion dollar companies can't buy other billion dollar companies. Period. Name the last time a multi-billion dollar merger worked for consumers.

Workaccount2 3y ago
It doesn't really, but this leads to a situation where leadership kneecaps growth or hastily sells when around a $999 million valuation.
- bearjaws 3y ago
  I can assure you, every founder I've worked with would go public before kneecapping growth or value. It's not like when you sell your company you actually get all your equity as cash, you are certainly still working at your company for a year or more afterwards, with performance incentive stock options based on growth...
  - mbesto 3y ago
    > company you actually get all your equity as cash But many times you get a significant portion, enough that many founders can simply coast and it doesn't matter. > you are certainly still working at your company for a year or more afterwards, with performance incentive stock The meme of founders who sell their companies to Google and just sit there and do nothing has some truth to it. Btw - when you go public you now have a very different set of "still working at your company" set of challenges and probably far worse with much more public scrutiny. You now answer to securities analysts, shareholders, lawyers, etc.
robin_reala 3y ago
Beats. Pretty shitty before the merger, much better quality afterwards.
- bearjaws 3y ago
  I'd argue it's about the same, maybe slightly stronger focus on build quality. Bought the studio buds plus and they don't hold a candle to Airpods. Gee I wonder why Beats doesn't have a direct competitors to Airpods?

alephnerd 3y ago

Makes sense. Vizio largely just assembles TVs specifically by purchasing parts from local ODMs in China, Taiwan, Mexico, VN, etc. It's basically just a brandname slapped on generic tv manufacturers. Walmart has a similar operation, and they are probably going to acquire Vizio to make a secondary upsell within Walmart.

josefresco 3y ago

We've had pretty good luck with Insignia (in-house Best Buy brand) for a "cheap TV solution".

chankstein38 3y ago

Vizio make some of the best soundbars I've owned or experienced... Hopefully that doesn't change if Walmart buys them. I always assumed Vizio was a "Walmart Brand" anyway...

glimshe 3y ago
Their soundbars are the best for the price. They are not great, but certainly better than competitors (such as Samsung) if you are in the low end of the market.

everdrive 3y ago

Vizio used to make good, cheap panels. When they switched to smart TVs, the consumer experience degraded in the expected ways.