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Walmart, a dominant seller of TV sets, already has a partnership with Roku to sell smart TVs under the Walmart brand Onn.
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Comcast Corp. CMCSA, +3.08% is in talks with Walmart Inc. WMT, +1.49% 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. AAPL, +1.26%, Fire TV maker Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, +1.31% and Roku Inc. ROKU, -2.85%
The strategy would enable Comcast to market to consumers nationwide, a change in a U.S. cable industry where players have stuck for decades to their regional footprints. Comcast would be able to promote its new streaming service, Peacock, front and center in the smart TVs, the people familiar with the matter said.
An expanded version of this story appears on WSJ.com
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