Don’t have a Walmart account? Good luck setting up your Vizio TV

Vizio parent company Walmart has confirmed a consequential change to its product offering strategy that’ll impact certain upcoming models within its smart TV lineup. The big box retail giant, which acquired Vizio in December 2024, has confirmed to Ars Technica that “select” new Vizio television sets will ship with mandatory Walmart account sign-ins during the setup process, with this same requirement extending to the access of some smart TV functions themselves.