Wave is a new social media startup that "operates about 130 different channels, ranging from highlights to profiles that are sport-, team-, or player-specific," and it hopes to "become SportsCenter for the Gen Z audience," according to Jeff Beer of FAST COMPANY. Wave said that since July, it has "generated more than two billion views per month from its over 38 million followers." Wave co-Founder Brian Verne said, "We started with a very strong presence on Instagram and expanded into Facebook, Snap, and TikTok. And we'll continue to expand that to more platforms." Beer noted the distributed media network model, similar to Overtime and Bleacher Report's House of Highlights, "isn't based on cable or TV but a variety of social platforms." With 30 full-time editors and about 150 paid contributors, Wave is "establishing channels for almost any athletic interest and then just flooding the zone with content." Wave's brand partners so far include Budweiser, Universal Music, Hulu, SiriusXM and BodyArmor, and it has "content deals" with MLB, the MLBPA and FIBA. Co-Founder Ishaan Sutaria said that Wave's "business right now is primarily built on a traditional advertising model" (FASTCOMPANY.com, 11/25).
