Announced at CES 2025, the collaboration will give Defined.ai users access to Getty Images' content, allowing customers to train AI models with premium, vetted datasets that compensate creators. SEATTLE,

Two giants of the stock image industry, Getty Images and Shutterstock, are merging to create a $3.7 billion powerhouse built for the age of artificial intelligence. According to a report by Reuters on Tuesday,

Getty Images and Shutterstock will merge into one company valued at $3.7 billion in a deal that aims to take on competition from AI, the companies announced on Tuesday. The new premier visual content company will be called Getty Images Holdings, Inc. and at close, Getty Images’s CEO, Craig Peters, will serve as CEO of the combined company.

Getty Images is the bigger company of the two, and its shareholders will own approximately 54.7% of the new entity, while Shutterstock shareholders will own 45.3%. Getty Images also owns the iStock and Unsplash brands. The company will simply be called Getty Images.

Getty Images' strong position in the visual content market and its brand value justify a premium to book value. Read why I've upgraded GETY stock to Buy.

News of the merger sent Getty stock surging by nearly 60% in pre-market trading on Tuesday. The stock was selling at $2.57 a share on Monday.

The deal, presented as a merger of equals, will create a company worth $3.7Bn with annual revenue of around $2Bn.

Getty Images’ $3.7 billion merger, including debt, with rival stock image seller Shutterstock is a picture-perfect template for more deals.

Getty Images and Shutterstock have announced that they are to merge, forming a new $US3.7 billion ($AU 5.94 billion) company to be named Getty Images Holdings.

Getty’s acquisition of Shutterstock could influence the future of creative assets. Learn its impact on SEO, content visibility and more.

From Meta’s content moderation and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50-series chips to the Getty Images-Shutterstock merger– here's all you need to know.