Introducing new pathways to programmatic CTV at scale

As retail media evolves into a full-funnel growth engine, advertisers are rethinking how they connect with customers across the entire shopping journey, one that increasingly begins on the biggest screen in the home.

Connected TV (CTV) has emerged as a powerful driver of inspiration and discovery; Walmart Connect CTV campaigns delivered a median of 44 percent new-to-brand buyers in FY26.¹ Yet, for many advertisers, especially mid-sized businesses, tapping into its full potential hasn’t been easy. Fragmented access to inventory, limited transparency, and inefficient supply paths have historically created a complex landscape that often favors brands with the scale and resources to navigate it.

Today, Walmart Connect is changing that by introducing two new ways to simplify and scale CTV activation: Connect Select, a curated marketplace within Walmart DSP, and expanded integrations with leading technology partners. As part of our Brand Solutions offering, we’re bringing together curated supply, Walmart’s first-party audiences, and seamless activation in Walmart DSP, so advertisers of all sizes can extend their brand building strategies into CTV.

Introducing Connect Select: a curated marketplace for scalable growth

Connect Select is designed to streamline access to highly relevant omnichannel inventory, with a focus on CTV. It surfaces recommended inventory optimized for reach and awareness, and aligned to campaign goals, removing complexity from the supply ecosystem. Advertisers can quickly discover and activate deals tailored to objectives like product launches, discovery, and brand building.

Powered by Walmart’s first-party shopper data and direct supply paths, Connect Select enables advertisers to go beyond impressions by linking CTV exposure to real customer behavior. Combined with our measurement capabilities, advertisers can see how CTV influences the full-funnel and optimize toward actual business outcomes, including reducing wasted ad spend and improving media efficiency.

At launch, Connect Select includes inventory from VIZIO, premium CTV publishers, including Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery and supply-side platforms (SSPs), including FreeWheel, Index Exchange, Magnite, and PubMatic. SSP partnerships enhance marketplace efficiencies through post-auction optimizations, driving improved performance, scale, and more competitive pricing. Advertisers can also access omnichannel formats including online video, display, and audio. Deals are available through Inventory Controls and Deal Desk.

“Performance in programmatic, especially in CTV, is directly tied to the quality and efficiency of supply,” said Rajeev Goel, Co-Founder & CEO at PubMatic. “Our integration with Connect Select as a preferred supply partner is delivering curated, high-performing CTV inventory through direct paths, which is helping advertisers see stronger engagement, higher conversion rates, and more efficient media spend when paired with Walmart’s first-party data.”

"Walmart Connect is making it easier for advertisers to bring premium streaming into their broader media strategies, and we’re excited to help power that effort,” said Sean Buckley, President, Revenue & Market Strategy for Magnite. “By pairing Walmart Connect’s curated approach with our deep footprint with the leading media companies in streaming, we’re helping advertisers move beyond simple impressions to support brand building and drive real business growth on the most impactful screen in the home."

Expanding our solutions through technology partners

We’re also addressing one of the biggest operational barriers: managing campaigns across multiple platforms. Walmart Connect is expanding integrations with technology partners, enabling seamless activation and management of Walmart DSP campaigns within the tools advertisers already use. This shift toward an interoperable ecosystem makes advanced strategies like CTV more accessible, without sacrificing control or transparency.

With partners like Pacvue and Skai at launch, advertisers can now plan, activate, and optimize full-funnel campaigns — both onsite and offsite — in one environment. Pacvue will support campaign management and reporting, while Skai will provide reporting capabilities at launch.

“When performance data is in silos, it’s harder for brands to move quickly and confidently,” said Tommy Burton, VP of Global Partnerships at Pacvue. “Bringing Walmart DSP into Pacvue, alongside Walmart Onsite Display and Sponsored Search, allows advertisers to approach their Walmart investments as one connected strategy, leading to more informed decisions across Walmart’s growing ecosystem and beyond.”

"The brands getting the most out of Walmart are thinking full funnel from the start,” said Jeff Cohen, Chief Business Development Officer at Skai. “Skai's integration of Walmart DSP reporting gives advertisers a unified view of performance across search, onsite display, and offsite media, so upper-funnel investment is no longer a leap of faith."

Getting Started

If you're just getting started, reach out to your partner to learn more about Walmart DSP campaigns. Already running offsite? Discover and activate curated deals today in Walmart DSP.  

Sources: ¹Walmart first-party data, Feb 1, 2025 – Jan 31, 2026; offsite CTV campaigns during Feb 1, 2025 – Jan 31, 2026; median reflects the 50th percentile (midpoint) of a given distribution; new-to-brand is defined as a customer who purchases a product of advertised itemset from Walmart site and app as a result of an ad campaign, after not having purchased any itemset product on Walmart site and app for the previous 12 months.