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Getty Images Acquires Scoopt |
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Written by Getty Images, Inc.
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
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Vision of Making Citizen Photojournalism More Accessible to Mainstream Media
Amateur Photographers Who Find Themselves in the Right Place at the Right
Time Will Soon Have Exposure to a Worldwide Audience
SEATTLE, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Getty Images, Inc.
(NYSE: GYI) today announced its acquisition of Scoopt, an emerging
source for user-generated editorial content. Scoopt is an aggregator
and distributor of photographs and videos captured by eyewitnesses who
have an accidental front row seat to headline-making moments.
In the coming months, news, sport and entertainment imagery from Scoopt
that meets Getty Images' stringent editorial quality standards will be
released exclusively at http://www.gettyimages.com/editorial,
where it will benefit from worldwide visibility and promotional
support. Additionally, Getty Images will invest in technology upgrades
and other enhancements to Scoopt in order to make the site more
accessible to customers, and to better position it for future growth.
"New technology has made it easier to capture and distribute imagery,
leading to citizen photojournalism that is increasingly relevant to the
news cycle," said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images.
"While this genre will never replace the award-winning photojournalism
for which we're known, it's a highly complementary offering that
enables us to meet the evolving imagery needs of a broad customer base."
Since the founding of Scoopt in 2005, the site has supplied the media with arresting imagery from major world events, including:
- The tragic Manhattan plane crash that killed New York Yankees
pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor in October 2006; digital
images captured by a bystander were emailed to Scoopt and appeared on
the front page of The Times of London
- Fierce January 2006 storms in the U.K., which brought devastation and disruption to large parts of the country
"User-generated content is serving a valuable role in today's
communication landscape; safeguards to validate its authenticity are
critical," said Hugh Pinney, director of Editorial Photography at Getty
Images. "By implementing rigorous quality standards, we can deliver
powerful imagery captured from a unique perspective while ensuring
journalistic integrity."
Citizen photographers who submit imagery to Scoopt retain copyright
while granting the agency a 12-month exclusive license that authorizes
re-license to one or more publishers. Contributors will benefit from
increased visibility and an extensive network of media contacts,
earning a significant percentage of the value for each license issued.
Both Getty Images and Scoopt encourage contributors to be respectful
and follow a code of ethics
for image capture. Submission guidelines and additional details about Scoopt's growing photographer community can be found at http://www.scoopt.com/.
Getty Images plans to fully integrate Scoopt into its organization,
harnessing the team's knowledge of user-generated editorial content.
"We're very much looking forward to taking our business to the next
level by collaborating with the world's leading imagery provider," said
Kyle MacRae, founder of Scoopt. "This acquisition will exponentially
expand our customer base and establish a strong foundation for
long-term growth."
The Scoopt team will continue to operate out of the site's base in
Glasgow, Scotland, servicing customers under the leadership of Getty
Images' Hugh Pinney. Existing relationships with Scoopt partners and
affiliates will remain in place until further notice.
About Getty Images, Inc.
Getty Images is the world's leading creator and distributor of visual
content and the first place creative professionals turn to discover,
purchase and manage imagery. The company's award-winning photographers
and imagery help customers create inspiring work which appears every
day in the world's most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising
campaigns, films, television programs, books and Web sites.
Headquartered in Seattle, WA and serving customers in more than 100
countries, Getty Images believes in the power of imagery to drive
positive change, educate, inform, and entertain. Visit Getty Images at http://www.gettyimages.com/
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