Getty For Sale: Another Web-Ravaged Business

Peter Kafka | January 21, 2008 8:52 AM

Anyone want the world's biggest image and video warehouse? The current owners of Getty Images (GYI) are looking for someone to take the company off their hands, and they're not asking much: The NYT floats a $1.5 billion price tag, which is only about 13% more than the market valued the company last week.

So why sell? The same medium that helped Getty's launch is now helping to tear it down:

Its main rivals, Jupitermedia (JUPM), and the Corbis Corporation, a private company owned by the Microsoft (MSFT) founder Bill Gates, have also made a number of acquisitions, though they remain far smaller than Getty. The Internet — a medium that Getty pioneered by being the first to license images online — has made it easier for clients to find pictures for less money.

There is more than one analogy here with other media businesses roiled by the Web: The Internet has made image distribution much easier, and may have increased the overall size of the market. But it has also decreased the value of any individual photo. One difference: It's much easier to get away with "sharing" an MP3 than it is to post a Getty image (or Corbis, or Jupiter) that you haven't purchased.

Subscribe to SAI: RSS, email newsletter (no spam)

Share:

< Prev. Story

Next Story >

8 Comments

wow power leveling (URL) said:

Nov. 11, 11:12 PM

age of conan powerleveling
Warhammer powerleveling
wow power leveling
Warhammer powerleveling
Warhammer powerlevel
Warhammer Gold
Aion powerleveling
Aion Gold

totooo (URL) said:

Oct. 05, 3:41 AM

welcome to wow gold,world of warcraft gold,warcraft gold,world of warcraft gold,wow leveling, the cheapWoW Power Leveling, service site,world of warcraft WoW Power Leveling,fast and secure service.we WoW Power Leveling, WoW gold isn’t found everywhere in the game; WoW Power Leveling,you have to look for it and, when you find it,WoW Gold, you have to save it.WoW Gold,WOW goldis earned through doing things like killing enemies, WoW Gold, hunting and crafting. WoW Gold, is for sale online at a number of locations. buy WoW Gold,The decision wow gold,wow gold to buy wow gold is one Cheap WoW Gold, that many video gamers wrestle with. Cheap WoW Gold,Many World of Warcraft players try to play the game on their own wow power level before making the decision to buy wow gold. Cheap WoW Gold,If you wow gold,want to buy Cheap WoW Gold,wow gold there is nothing wrong with it.WoW Gold, Buying wow gold is similar to finding cheat codes WoW Gold,World of warcraft Power Leveling,World of warcraft Power Leveling,age of conan gold,aoc gold,buy aoc gold,cheap aoc gold,aoc power leveling,age of conan power leveling,aoc power leveling,aoc gold,age of conan gold,age of conan power leveling,maplestory mesos, maple story mesos,maple story mesos,maple story mesos,maple story mesos,Maple Story mesos,MapleStory mesos,ms mesos,mesos,SilkRoad Gold,SRO Gold,SilkRoad Online Gold,eq2 plat,eq2 gold,eq2 Platinum,EverQuest 2 Platinum,EverQuest 2 gold,EverQuest 2 plat,lotro gold,lotr gold,Lord of the Rings online Gold,oil purifier,rolex replica,replica rolex,chongqing,yantai,evening dresses,evening gowns,wedding dresses,bridal gowns,wedding gowns,cocktail dresses,Bridesmaid dresses,prom dresses,formal dresses,Promotional items,Promotional products,Wedding dresses,Pet supplies,Dog clothes,Replica handbags,Replica Watches,wedding cake toppers,cake toppers,digital cameras,digital camera,warhammer online,war gold,digital cameras,digital camera,Mobile Phones,Mobile Phone,Cell Phones,Cell Phone,Mp3,world of warcraft power leveling,world of warcraft power leveling,power leveling wow,power leveling wow,power leveling wow,cheap wow power leveling,cheap wow power leveling,cheap wow power leveling,buy wow power leveling,buy wow power leveling,buy wow power leveling,power leveling,power leveling,power leveling,power level,power level,power level, t3i6s7dd

弓弩 (URL) said:

Sep. 25, 1:31 AM

GoodName said:

Sep. 21, 4:12 AM

wow gold wow gold wow power leveling wow power leveling Rolex rolex replica wow power leveling wow power leveling wow power leveling -19548874316916

freshman said:

Sep. 16, 1:17 AM

video editor for mac can merge multiple videos you like into one large file.

zisumini said:

Sep. 07, 8:07 AM

and mac dvd ripper also a mac user helper.|youtube video converter|can easily get FLV videos from YouTube to play on.

Dan Frommer said:

Jan. 21, 9:43 AM

Give Getty credit for buying iStockphoto, one of the best "microstock" sites. Not sure what its financial stats look like -- or how badly it's killing some of Getty's other product lines -- but it's an excellent site.

Getty For Sale: Another Web-Ravaged Business

Peter Kafka | January 21, 2008 8:52 AM

More:

8 Comments

Join the discussion