In major photography news last week, stock photography and videography giant Getty Images announced a merger with its rival, Shutterstock.
Now, stock photography is not something I have gotten involved with (yet), but it is a place for photographers to upload mages for sale to a worldwide audience. You will see these images in advertisements, on products, and in news broadcasts all around the world.
How big of a deal is this? According to this article from TechCrunch, the resulting company is expected to be valued at $3.7 BILLION dollars. (This figure is based on the stocks’ closing market value on January 6, 2025, the day before the merger was announced.)
It will be interesting to see whether the United States government steps in to block the merger or if it will receive regulatory approval to occur. It will also be interesting to see how the company will respond and adapt to the continued evolution of AI image and video generation.