Author Topic: Do you believe that Thinkstock is dying? (Read 4981 times)

Karen · « **on:** November 20, 2015, 13:49 »

HUGE drops in October... My iStock PP earnings dropped fivefold during last year.
I think Getty will close Thinkstock and move it's customers back to iStock.

ShadySue · « **Reply #1 on:** November 20, 2015, 14:06 »

I've been astonished that they didn't just migrate TS customers to iS subs.

Until a few months back, certain sales vacancies mentioned a need for familiarity with TS, iS and Getty offerings, but I just checked a few of them and none I checked mentioned TS.

StanRohrer · « **Reply #2 on:** November 20, 2015, 14:36 »

My PP for October is very low. But I had a BME for Sept. I can't say it's dead yet. In the corporate "efficiency" scheme I don't see where running TS as a separate site makes corporate sense. But, as i recall, not all TS material is from IS so they can't just migrate users to IS.

hatman12 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 20, 2015, 19:48 »

My Thinkstock sales have fallen dramatically over the past couple of years. A few days ago I looked at the website and did a few searches. I couldn't see much difference between 'best match' and 'newest', and frankly the 'best match' results looked like nonsense anyway. No surprise that sales are falling.

Mantis · « **Reply #4 on:** November 20, 2015, 19:49 »

October is way down for me, about 50%. For me 50% = about $150.

sigalavaca · « **Reply #5 on:** November 20, 2015, 20:03 »

recently there was also an announcement on the removal of all iStock editorial content from Thinkstock

Karen · « **Reply #6 on:** November 21, 2015, 15:00 »

50 downloads / month Subscriptions:
Thinkstock $139/month
iStock $89/month
Make sense?

Mantis · « **Reply #7 on:** November 21, 2015, 15:19 »

Quote from: Karen on November 21, 2015, 15:00

50 downloads / month Subscriptions:
Thinkstock $139/month
iStock $89/month
Make sense?

I think to minimize the pain, they are slowly attracting TS customers over to Istock through lower pricing. They will eventually pull the plug on TS as "NOT SUSTAINABLE".

PixelBytes · « **Reply #8 on:** November 21, 2015, 15:36 »

My TS sales are way down too, but I don't have a increase in IS subs to make up for it. My IS subs are lower too. Do others have decrease in IS subs? I don't know if its cuz I don't upload in a long time or just the general death of IS.

ShadySue · « **Reply #9 on:** November 21, 2015, 15:49 »

My best month for subs, which gives me no pleasure, as credit sales for me are almost relinquished to the past.

Mantis · « **Reply #10 on:** November 21, 2015, 16:24 »

Quote from: PixelBytes on November 21, 2015, 15:36

My TS sales are way down too, but I don't have a increase in IS subs to make up for it. My IS subs are lower too. Do others have decrease in IS subs? I don't know if its cuz I don't upload in a long time or just the general death of IS.

Yea, good point. Nor do I.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #11 on:** November 21, 2015, 18:56 »

I don't know whether customers will perceive this has value, but there are many collections - Able Stock, Banana Stock, Moodboard, Ingram, etc. - at Thinkstock that are not available on iStock.

When SS had fewer images in the collection it used to charge $89, then $139, $199, $249 and so on for the same number of images per month. The idea seems to be that a larger choice makes your allotment of images pricier.

There are also StockXpert images (Hemera collection) on Thinkstock that would have no other home if they shut Thinkstock down.

BTW, they should update the Thinkstock front page which points to iStock subscriptions and says "Plans start at $199 for 250 downloads per month." Follow the link and you see $40 a month as the entry point.

ShadySue · « **Reply #12 on:** November 21, 2015, 19:06 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on November 21, 2015, 18:56

I don't know whether customers will perceive this has value, but there are many collections - Able Stock, Banana Stock, Moodboard, Ingram, etc. - at Thinkstock that are not available on iStock. ... There are also StockXpert images (Hemera collection) on Thinkstock that would have no other home if they shut Thinkstock down.

Would it be possible for them to negotiate - or bulldoze - these collections into iS?

Quote

When SS had fewer images in the collection it used to charge $89, then $139, $199, $249 and so on for the same number of images per month. The idea seems to be that a larger choice makes your allotment of images pricier.

Did they increase payouts to suppliers each time? I didn't think there had been four increments in subs payments there, but I could very easily be wrong.

Quote

BTW, they should update the Thinkstock front page which points to iStock subscriptions and says "Plans start at $199 for 250 downloads per month." Follow the link and you see $40 a month as the entry point.

There is so much out of date information all over iStock itself, which they don't seem all that bothered to change ...

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2015, 19:37 »

$89 for unlimited downloads in November 2004 - "878 New Photos added in the past week!"

https://web.archive.org/web/20041102014141/http://www.shutterstock.com/

$129 for unlimited in Jan 2005 "Over 64,000 photos available for download"

https://web.archive.org/web/20050109033332/http://www.shutterstock.com/

$139 for 25 a day in March 2005 - "Over 109,000 photos..."

https://web.archive.org/web/20050301015437/http://www.shutterstock.com/

$159 for 25 a day in December 2006 "1,350,176 royalty-free stock photos"

https://web.archive.org/web/20061231205025/http://www.shutterstock.com/?

$199 for 25 a day in June 2007 "1,932,712 royalty-free stock photos"

https://web.archive.org/web/20070607052540/http://www.shutterstock.com/?

$249 for 25 a day in April 2008 "3,567,335 royalty-free stock photos"

https://web.archive.org/web/20080430042206/http://www.shutterstock.com/

A total of 6 price increases - I might have missed one, but I doubt there'd be more than one.

We received a raise every time the subscription price went up. It would usually be about 2-3 months later, after they had a chance to see how the buyer behavior panned out

ShadySue · « **Reply #14 on:** November 21, 2015, 19:54 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on November 21, 2015, 19:37

[snip]
A total of 6 price increases - I might have missed one, but I doubt there'd be more than one.
We received a raise every time the subscription price went up. It would usually be about 2-3 months later, after they had a chance to see how the buyer behavior panned out

Tx for the info Jo Ann. I hope I'll remember that the next time this comes up!

Karen · « **Reply #15 on:** November 22, 2015, 01:35 »

Thank you Jo Ann for this info!
Do you believe Thinkstock intentionally overpriced?

mojaric · « **Reply #16 on:** November 22, 2015, 05:43 »

nothing to say after joann post

i've good sales in october but pp are just disappearing compared to last year

MicrostockGroup Sponsors

Author Topic: Do you believe that Thinkstock is dying? (Read 4981 times)

Karen

ShadySue

StanRohrer

hatman12

Mantis

sigalavaca

Karen

Mantis

PixelBytes

ShadySue

Mantis

Jo Ann Snover

ShadySue

Jo Ann Snover

ShadySue

Karen

mojaric

Related Topics

Sponsors

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors