Dear Creator/Contributor,

As Getty Images approaches our 30th anniversary, we are excited to share the news that Getty Images and Shutterstock have announced an agreement to merge. The company will operate under Getty Images Holdings, Inc. The official press announcement can be found here.

It�s important to note that it will take time for the transaction to close. The merger is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and the approval of Getty Images and Shutterstock stockholders. As a result, the merger is not closed, and each company will continue to operate independently in the interim, and it will be business as usual with respect to your relationship with Getty Images.

We are undertaking this merger in large part because we expect it to provide expanded reach for your content, support for new asset types and formats and enhanced support and tools to manage your work.

We believe in creativity. We believe in the power of imagery. We believe pre‑shot solutions represent an efficient and powerful tool for our customers.  We believe in the opportunity of AI, but the need to compensate creators for the use of their work. These beliefs will not change with the transaction.

Over the coming months, as we move to close, we are committed to sharing updates.

We thank you for sharing your talent, content and trust with Getty Images and we look forward to providing expanded opportunities and capabilities going forward.

Best wishes,

Craig Peters
CEO, Getty Images

I see that Getty is acquiring Shuterstock, which means that the Shuterstock board is selling their company. The merger name is nonsense, the letter clearly states that Getty will control everything.
I think that Shuterstock's revenue will fall, and the royalty percentage will be the same as Getty's.
This is bad news.

Interesting take on the Getty/Shutterstock news from the Millwaukee Independent

https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/explainers/big-photo-getty-images-shutterstock-merge-3-7b-deal-form-new-visual-content-powerhouse/

So customers feel their situation was sidelined by the happy-talk from the two CEOs at yesterday's conference call:

"Representatives of Shutterstock have begun to offer reassurances to its subscribers, specifically telling the �Milwaukee Independent� that in the near term, nothing would change in how Shutterstock customers license images, videos, and other media. A company spokesperson also explained that there would be no immediate impact on how Shutterstock subscribers sourced, purchased, or managed content.

The merger is expected to offer customers more options to license content, as a benefit from the combined libraries. But despite belated efforts to reassure existing clients, the manner in which Getty Images and Shutterstock unveiled their deal has left some uneasy.

In many creative and editorial circles, the announcement sparked initial concern from businesses that rely on Shutterstock images. The fear is that the more expensive and stricter licensing by Getty Images would dictate massive changes.

Such apprehension was magnified by what critics say was an overly celebratory tone from the merging corporations by highlighting the revenue from their stocks, yet offering minimal public-facing information about the benefits to their customers.

�Both companies put all their energy into celebrating the new massive value and stock revenue windfall, while completely omitting any message or information to their extensive customer base,� said a consultant for a small nonprofit that relies heavily on stock photography via Reddit. �That only escalates the fear that policies and pricing structures could shift with little warning. It�s left people feeling anxious about how the transformation might jeopardize budgets or access to content.�

More to read:

https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/1hvq4np/getty_images_and_shutterstock_to_merge/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/getty-images-merger-shutterstock-1236103000/

https://www.fastcompany.com/91256130/getty-images-shutterstock-merge-3-7-billion-deal

The above article mentions competition from genAI images; both CEOs dismissed any impact on their licensing from genAI in the Q&A section of yesterday's conference call. Either they were just spouting the party line, or possibly that isn't really a major factor in deciding to merge?

"The merger comes at a time when companies that use still images are facing increased competition from images generated by artificial intelligence. The companies said Tuesday that they have complementary portfolios and that a merger will provide customers with a broader array still imagery, video, music, 3D, and other media."

There's a lot of overlap in the collections.

Well, it can�t get worse.  So far $6 this month on SS while Adobe is already at $80.

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on January 08, 2025, 15:30

Well, it can�t get worse.  So far $6 this month on SS while Adobe is already at $80.

Yes, same here.  My ShutterStock is earning about $3-$5/day so far this month.  Really bad.

Amazed how things can drop off a cliff so quickly.  Where did the customers go?  I guess Adobe.  Because it sure ain't Pond5.

Adobe is winning without changing anything, because they understand the producers are their partners, not their enemy.

don't you think "Gutterstock" makes more sense?