Getty Images is terminating its planned $3.7 billion merger with Shutterstock after the UK competition regulator conditions approval on divestiture. Multiple outlets report that the UK regulator requires Shutterstock to sell its editorial business as part of the deal. Getty’s board decides the condition is not in the company’s best interests, and the company moves to cancel the merger rather than revise the agreement to comply. The companies had announced the merger in January 2025, describing it as a step toward building a large visual content and imagery business. Several sources characterize the regulator’s divestment requirement as a deal-breaker for Getty, with the company not seeking to proceed on those terms. Reporting also notes that both firms face increasing competitive pressure from AI image generators, though the merger cancellation is attributed specifically to the UK regulatory requirement. Following the decision, Getty notifies Shutterstock that it will scrap the merger plans.
Getty Images ends $3.7 billion merger plan with Shutterstock after UK regulator condition
Getty Images is terminating its planned $3.7 billion merger with Shutterstock after the UK competition regulator conditions approval on divestiture. Multiple outlets report that the UK regulator requi...
- Getty Images terminates its planned $3.7 billion merger with Shutterstock.
- The UK competition regulator requires Shutterstock to sell its editorial business for approval.
- Getty’s board rejects the divestment condition and decides not to proceed on revised terms.
- The merger was announced in January 2025.
- The cancellation is attributed to UK regulatory requirements; AI image competition is mentioned separately as broader industry pressure.
Getty Image has ended its planned $3.7 billion merger with Shutterstock. The UK competition regulator required Shutterstock to sell its editorial business. Getty's board decided this condition was not in the company's best interests. The companies had unveiled the deal in January 2025 to build a visual content powerhouse. Both firms now face increasing pressure from AI image generators.
1 month agoGetty Images notified Shutterstock on Tuesday that it's scrapping plans to combine the companies in a $3.7 billion deal because it didn't want to comply with a key condition laid out by Britain's antitrust regulator.
1 month agoA $3.7bn plan to merge the world’s two biggest stock-photo libraries has collapsed. The reason is not America, where regulators waved it through. It is Britain, where a single condition proved a deal-breaker. Getty Images will terminate its merger with Shutterstock, the company said this week. Its board voted unanimously to walk away after the […] This story continues at The Next Web
1 month agoJust over four months after a UK watchdog raised concerns about the merger between US photo agencies Getty Images and Shutterstock, Getty Images announced plans to terminate the $3.7 billion merger agreement. [Read More]
1 month agoThe U.K.'s competition regulator conditioned its approval on a sale of Shutterstock's editorial business, a requirement Getty's board rejected
1 month ago
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