What’s going on here?

Talk about a major cable bill: Walmart planned a $2 billion purchase of smart television-maker Vizio.

What does this mean?

Walmart’s no stranger to flogging TVs, but buying a whole flat screen-focused company isn’t exactly part of the day job. Vizio, known for its budget-friendly smart devices, has found a new side hustle in advertising and streaming. The company’s clearly been studying up on the art of subliminal messaging, selling advertisement slots that pop up every time a viewer turns on their flat screen or works their way through free video services. So of course, Walmart’s been tempted. Not only would the grocery giant take control of all that advertising space and the money it makes, but dossiers full of viewers’ exclusive data – like what they’re watching and when – would be thrown in, too. The television business would just be a bonus.

Why should I care?

Zooming out: Data equals dollars.

Walmart’s brand is all about value, meaning the grocery chain risks losing customers to competitors by jacking prices up too much. So if Walmart wants to pull up profit, the company needs to branch out from bread and milk. The advertising sector is a solid option, already bolstering the bottom lines of major firms like Amazon and Meta. But Walmart will need to tinker with the settings if it wants to catch up: 8% of televisions are hooked up to Vizio’s operating systems, compared to 17% for Amazon.

The bigger picture: Amazon’s not in the clear.

Nvidia is giving Amazon a run for its money – literally. The chipmaker just became the fifth-biggest business in the world, knocking Amazon off its perch. So far, Nvidia’s investors have been pledging their allegiance to a future run on artificial intelligence, and the chunk of change that would come with buddying up to the company that runs it. But Nvidia’s next results update, due on February 21st, could give them another reason to stay faithful.