Getty Images Holdings Inc (GETY)

Getty Images was founded in 1995 in Seattle, Washington, by Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein, and grew into one of the world's largest suppliers of licensed photography, video and editorial imagery. Its archives cover news, sports, entertainment and creative subjects, and it operated brands including Getty Images, iStock and Unsplash, as well as music licensing and asset management services.

The company's customers included media organizations, corporations, agencies and individual creators. It sold content through subscriptions and individual licenses, and also pursued legal action regarding the use of its images by artificial intelligence developers.

Getty Images became a public company in July 2022 through a business combination with CC Neuberger Principal Holdings II, a special purpose acquisition company. Its Class A common stock was listed on the NYSE under the symbol GETY. In January 2025 it agreed to merge with Shutterstock in a merger of equals.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority issued a final report on May 15, 2026 stating that the merger could proceed only if Shutterstock's editorial business were divested. Getty's board decided not to pursue that divestiture and terminated the merger agreement on July 7, 2026. Merger financing notes were redeemed under a special mandatory redemption, and the company reported about $60.4 million of merger-related costs through June 30, 2026.

The NYSE sent Getty a noncompliance notice on March 17, 2026 after its 30-day average share price fell below $1.00. In August 2026 Getty disclosed substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern, while it discussed its capital structure with debt and equity holders. The shares closed at $0.12 on September 28, 2026.

On September 29, 2026, the NYSE suspended trading and began delisting proceedings under Section 802.01D of the Listed Company Manual, citing abnormally low selling price levels. Getty told the exchange on October 1 that it would not appeal. The stock began trading on the OTC Pink Limited Market, and the NYSE removal was effective October 13, 2026.