Though Meta has made strides in monetizing and improving engagement on Reels, short form video competition remains strong. TikTok, which touts about 1.39 billion global users, recently integrated its app into Vizio smart TVs

“In situations like these, you might find that employees asked to self-assess in terms of their conduct or behavior … feel the need to justify their behaviors or make excuses based on others' shortcomings," said Bethany Ellis, chief people officer of CreatorIQ in Los Angeles. "That's where you have an opportunity to step in and help them raise their self-awareness.”

If you don't mind filling your room with boxes, the M-Elevate does offer a compelling alternative to the similarly priced Sonos Arc, and it sounds better with movies, too.

Thanks to our report sponsors Amagi, LG Ads Solutions, Magnite, Pluto TV and VIZIO, we are able to offer this report to you for free.

Now, platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Vizio, are focusing on bulking up their content offerings as well as updating their interfaces to keep customers coming back. In the second quarter, Vizio SmartCast accounts jumped 43% year over year to hit 14 million, and streaming hours climbed 22% to reach 3.5 billion.

Overall, CTV is expected to see nearly $6 billion in 2022 upfront dollars, up from $4.5 billion in 2021, eMarketer predicts.

​​Similarly, Vizio has unveiled an updated experience for its free streaming video service WatchFree+ including a new programming guide. It is putting the emphasize on data to improve its customer experience.

Driving the news: Comcast has approached Irvine, Calif.-based Vizio as the company eyes acquiring a TV maker, Protocol reports. It's also looked at TP Vision. State of play: Comcast is in the smart TV business already, through its Sky subsidiary and a partnership with Hisense. But it apparently wants more.

Media consolidation in the streaming and the connected TV space seems to be coming -- even if you don’t believe one eye-opening report that Comcast Corp. may be eyeing a deal to acquire Vizio, the TV set manufacturer and growing streaming/connected TV (CTV) platform, according to Protocol.

Specific deal options didn’t come up on the call. Earlier this week, a news report suggested that Comcast has talked to TV set makers, including Vizio, about a potential acquisition. Comcast has been pushing into the smart TV set space under the brand XClass as it looks for new ways to reach consumers in their living rooms.

“Hosting VIZIO’s inaugural Developer Conference this year is especially exciting, as we are able to showcase the way we’ve revolutionized the marketplace over the past two decades,” said Katherine Pond, Group Vice President, Platform Content and Partnerships at VIZIO. “We’re looking forward to the continued innovation we will deliver to consumers coming out of this event.”

Reports surfaced Wednesday that Comcast has had talks with smart TV companies Vizio and TP Vision about possible acquisitions. While the seriousness of those talks is debatable, Protocol said discussions with Vizio were held in 2021 and in early 2022, but that it was "unclear how far the discussions with each company progressed, or whether they are still ongoing." Of more imminent importance will be whether the tone for the rest of the year concerning broadband growth will be better or worse.

Reportedly, Comcast is in talks to acquire a few different companies right now, but the big name that has appeared in these reports is – VIZIO. Comcast wants to acquire VIZIO so that it can strengthen its smart TV platform. Comcast is also kicking the tires on digital entertainment company TP Vision.

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Vizio’s SmartCast smart TV platform has evolved into one of the best interfaces for streaming media consumption. It doesn’t have a full-fledged voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant, but it does offer a solid selection of popular streaming apps. It also supports both Apple AirPlay and Google Cast, as well as Bluetooth for listening to audio via headphones without disturbing anyone else. Overall, it’s simple and easy to use.

Vizio stock (NYSE:VZIO) has jumped 3.2% off a report that Comcast (CMCSA) has been eyeing an acquisition of the consumer electronics maker as it considers getting further into building its own smart televisions.

By acquiring Vizio, Comcast can stay ahead of the digital curve by having its own manufacturer of smart TVs, which has become the primary device for streaming in many households in recent years. Considering that Comcast's own recent report on the rise of free streaming channels, it comes as no surprise that the cable titan is doubling down on streaming.

Cable giant Comcast has been weighing the acquisition of a TV-maker to bolster its nascent smart TV platform efforts, Protocol has learned from industry insiders. One of the companies approached by Comcast has been California-based Vizio, according to three sources with knowledge of these conversations.

Televisions, which currently average 55 inches in North America, also come with nearly paper-thin 4K-resolution TV screens and the ability to watch thousands of channels. If you really want to go out, check out the new 85-inch entry from Vizio.

“We started running into some issues with servicing some of the apps we had on the platform, and at the time, we had to rent out to somebody else to help create a great consumer experience,” said Mike O’Donnell, chief revenue and strategic growth officer at Vizio, also pointing out that LG and Samsung did the same thing.

The lack of control over function and user experience led Vizio, Samsung and LG to create their own operating systems, part of a larger trend in the OEM landscape, as connected TV companies’ share of the marketplace continued to climb.

For something even more affordable, check out the ongoing price drop we are tracking on the 2021 VIZIO 50-Inch HDMI 2.1 VRR AirPlay 2 M-Series 4K Smart TV

This particular model is the M-Series Elevate (M512E-K6 ) which includes 13 drivers and comprises a soundbar, wired surrounds and a separate wireless sub. The soundbar has height drivers along its front edge that automatically rotate 90 degrees to project sound vertically for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content or fire forwards for standard stereo and surround audio. Vizio first used this technique in 2020 with its top of the range Elevate soundbar.

Unlike the current class leader, the Sonos Arc, the M-Series Elevate supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio codecs. It features HDMI eARC, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and an unspecified number of HDMI 2.0 inputs with 4K Dolby Vision passthrough.