Company Overview

Founded in 1995 by Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein, Getty Images is the world's largest stock photography and visual content provider, with headquarters in Seattle, WA and London, UK. The company returned to the New York Stock Exchange in July 2022 via a SPAC merger (NYSE: GETY), and its library contains over 477 million images, videos, and music assets, serving media, advertising, publishing, and enterprise clients worldwide with approximately 1,700 employees.

In 2006, Getty Images acquired iStockphoto (now iStock) to reach a broader audience spanning premium creative imagery to affordable stock content. The 2021 acquisition of Unsplash further expanded reach into the developer and startup communities.

Core Products

  • Getty Images: Core creative and editorial image library featuring world-class photography and video covering news, sports, entertainment, and business
  • iStock: Affordable stock platform (formerly iStockphoto) serving small businesses and individual creators with royalty-free images, videos, illustrations, and music
  • Getty Images Music: Premium music library providing soundtracks and sound effects for video, advertising, and multimedia projects
  • Unsplash: Free high-quality image platform (acquired 2021) targeting developers and startups with commercially usable photos

Key Milestones

  • 1995: Founded by Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein in Seattle, pioneering the stock photography business model
  • 2006: Acquired iStockphoto (iStock) for $50 million, expanding into the affordable stock market
  • 2012: Acquired by Carlyle Group for $3.3 billion, taking the company private
  • 2018: Getty family regained majority control from Carlyle Group
  • 2021: Acquired Unsplash, the free stock photo platform, reaching developer and startup communities
  • 2022: Returned to public markets via SPAC merger (NYSE: GETY)
  • 2025: Launched Generative AI by Getty Images in partnership with NVIDIA, trained on licensed library content

Market Position

Getty Images leads the global stock photography market, competing with:

  • Shutterstock: The second-largest stock photography platform, direct competitor in creative and editorial imagery (announced merger in 2025, terminated in 2026)
  • Freepik: Free graphic resources marketplace competing in vectors and design templates
  • 500px: Photographer community and stock platform competing in photo licensing
  • Adobe Stock: Adobe's stock platform benefiting from Creative Cloud ecosystem integration
  • Alamy: UK-based stock agency competing in editorial and rare content
  • Pond5: Video, music, and motion graphics marketplace competing in video assets

Core Strengths

Largest Image Library: Over 477 million images and videos covering news, sports, entertainment, and more
Editorial Dominance: Unmatched coverage and timeliness in news editorial photography
Brand Portfolio: Multi-tier coverage via Getty Images (premium), iStock (affordable), and Unsplash (free)
Exclusive Content: Exclusive photography agreements with major sports leagues, news agencies, and entertainment events