Comcast, Walmart in talks to develop and distribute smart TVs

By Lillian Rizzo and Patience Haggin

Comcast Corp. is in talks with Walmart Inc. to develop and distribute smart TVs, according to people familiar with the matter, as the cable giant looks to become a dominant hub for streaming apps, not just TV channels.

Under the terms the companies are discussing, retail giant Walmart would promote TV sets running Comcast software, and would get a share of recurring revenue from Comcast in return, the people said. A third party would likely manufacture the sets, and one possibility is that they could carry Walmart branding, they said.

The Comcast software, drawing on expertise the company has developed and technology it has acquired, would aim to help consumers navigate through their streaming apps and watch programming. That would put Comcast up against tech companies that already are the major players in the streaming era’s living room— Apple TV maker Apple Inc., Fire TV maker Amazon.com Inc. and Roku Inc.

This story originally appeared on The Wall Street Journal. Click here for more.