Walmart is acquiring Vibe.co, a self-serve connected-TV advertising platform, for a reported $1.4bn — more than three times the startup's $410m valuation from just nine months prior. The deal values Vibe.co at roughly 12.6x revenue, a stark premium compared to listed rival MNTN's ~1x multiple. Vibe.co serves 10,000+ small and mid-sized advertisers with self-serve CTV ad buying and measurement. The acquisition slots into Walmart's broader retail media push via Walmart Connect, complementing earlier moves like buying Vizio and partnering with Magnite, Yahoo DSP, and Google DV360. The strategic goal is to close the gap with Amazon's highly profitable advertising business by giving smaller advertisers easy access to Walmart's closed-loop measurement capabilities. The deal also highlights a recurring pattern of European ad-tech talent ultimately scaling inside US giants rather than independently.
