• by Tony Silber , Staff Writer, March 25, 2022

Future Plc, the global enthusiast and B2B media platform, on Thursday announced the acquisition of two businesses intended to boost the company’s social media expertise.

The acquired companies are WhatCulture, a social-first brand focused on the gaming and entertainment market, and the data-insights start-up Waive, which uses machine learning to identify social trends.

The acquisitions will bolster Future’s revenue diversification as well as its social media offerings, and editorial strategy, Future said in a press release.

WhatCulture, founded in 2006, produces YouTube content for gaming and entertainment audiences. Its YouTube advertising experience will strengthen Future’s video position, the company said. WhatCulture has 11 YouTube channels, with more than eight million subscribers and over four billion views, which represent its core method of monetization. About 70% of its revenue comes from the U.S.

WhatCulture complements Future’s existing portfolio of specialist entertainment content, the company said, including CinemaBlend, acquired in 2021. WhatCulture will also benefit from Future’s proprietary web technology, which will empower greater monetization of its websites and bring efficiencies to its operating model.

The data-insight company Waive seeks to identify and predict trending social topics across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit. Future said it will empower the company’s editorial teams to forecast trends and aid in creating content focused on what audiences will care about in the future.

“We look forward to working with WhatCulture to further diversify our content and revenue streams, and are particularly excited about the video monetization expertise and data insight capabilities that Waive will bring to the group respectively,” CEO Zillah Byng-Thorne said.

Future is one of the largest magazine-media and digital publishers in the world. Its portfolio of over 240 brands covers a vast number of markets, including technology, games, TV and entertainment, women’s lifestyle, music, creative and photography, sports, home interest, and B2B sectors. Its brands include: Techradar, Gamesradar+,  Marie Claire, Decanter, The Week, Guitar World, Digital Camera World, and Live Science.