Walmart Shopper Data Will Soon Power Targeted Ads on Disney Plus and Hulu

Advertisers can now use Walmart purchase data to target Disney’s streaming portfolio, which includes Disney Plus and Hulu, Adsweek reports. The news comes after the companies on Wednesday announced a partnership between Disney Advertising and Walmart Connect, the retailer’s media business.

As part of the deal, Walmart advertisers will be able to combine the retailer’s shopper data with Disney’s proprietary Audience Graph tools, helping them reach targeted audiences and better measure data. The datasets will be combined using clean room technology so that — theoretically — user data cannot be shared with other external parties.

“Approximately 145 million customers shop with us online and in stores weekly,” Ryan Mayward, senior vice president of retail media sales at Walmart Connect, said in a statement. “Now, marketers will be able to apply these insights to their full-funnel campaigns to reach customers wherever they are streaming Disney content.”

At the same time, Disney will join Walmart’s Partner Lab, whose members include TikTok, Roku, NBCUniversal and other social and TV platforms. Each company works with Walmart to test new ad formats and measurements.

Initial testing of the partnership will begin in the second quarter in categories including consumer electronics, automotive, apparel and more.

The news comes after Walmart agreed to buy smart TV maker Vizio for approximately $2.3 billion in February, which is expected to further boost its advertising business. But that assumes the deal goes through — privacy and competition advocates are urging the government to investigate the acquisition, warning that it “could lock buyers captive to Walmart’s advertising and content channels forever.”