How Inscape And Walmart Are Powering Full-Funnel TV Measurement

Ken Norcross, VP, Data Strategy and Political Ad Sales, VIZIO, sat down with Jon Watts, Managing Director of the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) to discuss how VIZIO's Inscape is bringing scale, precision, and clarity to the evolving world of TV measurement.

From ACR to AI, Ken unpacks the company's strategy post-acquisition by Walmart—and what it means for advertisers, agencies, and the future of full-funnel measurement.

Jon Watts: Let’s start with the big news—what’s new with Inscape?

Ken Norcross: We were acquired by Walmart, and that opens a huge opportunity. We’ve entered a business phase with our agency partners to show how our scale on TV, paired with Walmart’s precision in retail media, creates a full-funnel measurement solution. It gives advertisers a way to see true impact.

Jon Watts: How does that acquisition evolve your strategy?

Ken Norcross: We’re renewing partnerships with key players like VideoAmp, Comscore, Nielsen, and iSpot to power currency and third-party measurement. At the same time, we’re taking greater control of our own data to build planning, activation, and measurement tools that span the campaign lifecycle.

Jon Watts: What does your U.S. footprint look like today?

Ken Norcross: VIZIO is a top smart TV manufacturer in the U.S., and we only sell in the U.S. Our footprint grew from about 9 million TVs in 2019 to over 25 million today. And with Walmart, that’s only accelerating.

Jon Watts: You were early to license foundational data. What was the thinking?

Ken Norcross: Around 2016–2017, VIZIO bet on ACR. We acquired Cognitive Networks and built tech to create interactive content overlays. That evolved into using ACR data to make linear TV behave more like digital. In 2017, we began licensing data—and today, that’s still core to our business.

Jon Watts: How are your partners using that data?

Ken Norcross: We provide the foundational layer. Nielsen uses it for currency. iSpot and Comscore use it for cross-channel measurement. A big value of ACR is that it captures both linear and streaming, which is essential now that audiences are more fragmented.

Jon Watts: How are you enriching that data?

Ken Norcross: We’ve built new tech to detect over-the-air (OTA) signals through antennas—integrated directly into the VIZIO UI. That expands our local coverage, which is critical for local advertisers and measurement providers.

Jon Watts: You’ve also been mapping out viewer journeys. What does that work involve?

Ken Norcross: We’re focused on how viewers move across content—from an owned app to a FAST channel to linear—and how publishers can optimize content distribution. Think of the Super Bowl on Tubi: Did it bring in new users? Did they stay? This kind of insight helps shape investment and programming strategy.

Jon Watts: There’s industry appetite for that data. What makes Inscape’s view unique?

Ken Norcross: We see everything: streaming, linear, and what’s in between. That’s unique. It gives us the full view to help advertisers, publishers, and agencies understand how and where to engage audiences.

Jon Watts: There are still gaps in ACR data. Can the industry address them together?

Ken Norcross: Absolutely. There’s no perfect data set, but we’ve invested since 2017. Still, some apps don’t allow ACR, even though they want third-party measurement. We need to collaborate—with safeguards—to build a more complete, privacy-compliant picture of ad performance across apps and platforms.

Jon Watts: Let’s shift to AI and retail media. What’s next from Inscape?

Ken Norcross: We’ve used machine learning from the beginning. Now we’re focused on how AI can help customers analyze performance faster—turning millions of rows of data into actionable insights, instantly. It also helps connect first-party data and accelerate decision-making.

Jon Watts: And retail media?

Ken Norcross: Walmart opens the door to true full-funnel measurement—from ad exposure on TV to online or in-store purchases. Pairing our scale with Walmart’s precision is a game-changer. There’s more to come, but the potential is enormous.

Jon Watts: Ken, thanks so much. Always a pleasure.