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Getty Images

Getty Images

Largest and most diverse premium content library with over 400 million assets

gettyimages.comSeattle, Washington, USA, Washington, United StatesFounded 1995

Last updated May 11, 2026 by jonholm

Industry
Visual Content Licensing and Stock Photography
Business Model
B2B/B2C marketplace and licensing platform
Target Market
Creative professionals, advertising agencies, media organizations, publishers, corporations, small businesses, and individual content creators requiring licensed visual content
Employee Count
1001-5000
Funding
private equity owned
Revenue Range
$500M-$1B
Stock Symbol
GETY
API Available
Market Position

Getty Images is one of the top two global leaders in the stock photography and visual content licensing industry, competing primarily with Shutterstock. The company differentiates itself through premium quality content, exclusive partnerships with major media organizations and photographers, extensive editorial and archival collections, and strong brand recognition. Getty Images commands premium pricing due to its curated, high-quality content library and comprehensive rights management.

Overview

Getty Images is a global leader in visual content creation and licensing, providing stock photography, editorial images, video footage, and music to creative professionals, businesses, and media organizations worldwide. Founded in 1995 by Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein, the company has built one of the world's most comprehensive and diverse visual content libraries, featuring hundreds of millions of images and videos from professional photographers, videographers, and content creators. Getty Images serves clients across advertising, marketing, media, entertainment, and corporate communications sectors, offering both contemporary stock content and extensive historical archives. The company operates through multiple brands including Getty Images for creative and editorial content, iStock for affordable stock content, and Unsplash for free imagery. Getty Images has established itself as a trusted source for premium visual content, maintaining exclusive partnerships with major news organizations, sports leagues, entertainment companies, and celebrity photographers. The company has evolved beyond traditional licensing to offer end-to-end visual content solutions, including custom content creation, digital asset management, and AI-powered search and discovery tools. In recent years, Getty Images has been at the forefront of addressing AI and copyright issues in the visual content industry, launching AI-generated content offerings while protecting the rights of contributing artists.

Products & Features

Creative Stock Images

Extensive library of royalty-free and rights-managed stock photography for commercial use in advertising, marketing, and design projects

Editorial Content

News, sports, entertainment, and archival imagery for editorial and journalistic purposes with comprehensive metadata and rights clearance

Video and Film Footage

Stock video clips, 4K footage, and archival film content for broadcast, digital media, and commercial productions

iStock

Affordable stock content platform offering budget-friendly images, videos, and illustrations with flexible credit-based pricing

Getty Images Music

Licensed music tracks and audio content for commercial and creative projects

Custom Content Creation

Bespoke visual content production services including photography, videography, and creative direction for brand campaigns

Visual Search and AI Discovery

AI-powered search tools enabling users to find content through visual similarity, keywords, and advanced filtering options

Getty Images API

Developer tools and APIs for integrating Getty Images content into third-party applications, websites, and workflows

Embed Feature

Free embedding of select Getty Images content for non-commercial editorial use on websites and blogs

Digital Asset Management

Enterprise solutions for organizing, managing, and distributing visual assets across organizations

AI-Generated Content

AI-created images and visual content generated through partnerships with AI technology providers, with proper compensation models for contributing artists

Use Cases
Marketing and advertising campaignsEditorial and news contentWebsite and digital media designCorporate communicationsSocial media contentPrint publicationsBroadcasting and film productionEducational materials
Customer Segments
Media organizationsAdvertising agenciesCorporate marketing departmentsDigital content creatorsPublishersBroadcastersEducational institutionsFreelance designers

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