Did you know Image Licensing Giants Getty Images Holdings and Shutterstock Consider Merging As Shares Plummet to New High

 

Bloomberg News has spoken about a possible merger of image licensing giant Getty Images with Shutterstock. The report has sent shares of both companies to a new high on Friday during the afternoon trading hours.

Getty Images’ shares went up 20.3% while a more subtle increase of 7.7% present was observed for Shutterstock. This news comes during a moment when Getty appeared to be struggling to maintain a hold in the market with users leaving and not being replaced by new ones.

The creative and editorial offerings witnessed a YoY fall last year as per the company’s annual report despite them being the biggest sectors for the firm to generate revenue. The fall in its popularity might have to do with the growing demand for AI tools such as DALL-E-2 which is a leading AI generator. Products like these not only produce fabulous results without any waiting time and come at a minimal cost.

This is why the company based in Washington is exploring options for a deal that unites both giants in America that are known for providing visual material under a license.

The company was first launched in 1995 and soon became a worldwide supplier of stock images, videos, and other kinds of visual material. Common brands under the label included Getty Images, Unsplash, iStock, and serve enterprise amongst other agency clients. So far, their shares have seen a dramatic 59% decline in 2024 alone as per data taken from LSEG.

Today, Getty Images takes pride in having more than 70 exclusive partners and they include giants like AFP, Walt Disney, and even BBC Studios. Other than that, top companies such as FIFA, NBA, and Formula One make the list quite frequently as clients that can use Getty for distributing content related to their events. They have exclusive access with ownership of commercial rights.

On the other hand, Shutterstock is another leading global firm for image licensing various kinds of visual material like videos, pictures, 3D models, vectors, and music. Common brands under its title include Giphy which it bought rights for two years ago.

There were many kinds of deliberations taking place at the moment but the report also shared how Getty might not even plan on moving on with the deal. We’re still waiting for more details on this front from both image licensing giants.