iStock by Getty Images to disrupt stock photo industry with bold new changes
– Major changes to credits, pricing and content sets iStock ahead of competitors
– Premium exclusive content now available at dramatically reduced prices
NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2014 – iStock by Getty Images, the original resource for crowd-sourced royalty-free stock images, media and design elements, today launches a series of major changes to simplify purchasing and make its premium content available to customers for even less. The far reaching changes, which include simplified content collections, improved search and new pricing firmly position iStock as the number one place to source unique, quality content at the best price.
Breaking new ground is in iStock’s DNA. From its humble beginnings 14 years ago as a start-up in Calgary, iStock turned the image industry on its head by crowd-sourcing imagery and inventing the microstock model. Today, iStock is disrupting again, with changes that will leave no room for ambiguity or indecision about the best place to source the right content at the right price.
From today, customers will see:
- A single price per image and video allowing customers to access the needed file size without paying more.
- Two collections:
- Essentials: Millions of every day images, vectors, videos and music tracks at an unbelievable price.
- Signature: 7 million and growing premium-quality images, vectors, video and music tracks (includes premium files formerly in the Vetta™ collection) exclusively and only available from iStock at a dramatically reduced price.
- The flexibility of two simple payment methods with subscriptions and pay-as-you-go credit packs, enabling customers to easily buy what they need for less. Pay-as-you-go pricing is as low as just under £6 per high-resolution image or £34 per high definition video. Subscription plans provide access for as low as 13 pence per image.
“Our customers have spoken. They want quality and individuality at the best possible price – and they want it from iStock by Getty Images,” said Getty Images Co-founder and CEO Jonathan Klein.
“Only iStock offers more than just commodity content. We offer Signature – exclusive images, video and vectors curated by a global team of visual and trend experts, at a price that cannot be matched. Now our customers have even better access to this unique premium content, available only from iStock and with the trusted backing of Getty Images. Creatives and other image users do not have to settle for a sea of commoditized sameness.”
Click here for more information on the changes taking place.
About iStock by Getty Images
iStock by Getty Images is the web’s original resource for crowd sourced royalty-free stock images, media and design elements, offering millions of hand-picked photos, illustrations, videos and audio tracks. A site “by creatives, for creatives,” iStock started in 2000 as the pioneer micropayment photography site, freeing creatives everywhere to create beautiful communications on a budget. The site has become one of the most successful and profitable user-generated content sites in the world. iStock is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Getty Images.
About Getty Images
Getty Images is a world leader in visual communication, with over 180 million assets available through its premium content site www.gettyimages.com and its leading stock content site www.istock.com. With its advanced search and image recognition technology, Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover, purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its award-winning photographers and content creators help customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and online media. Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life. For company news and announcements, visit press.gettyimages.com, and for the stories, innovation and inspiration behind our content, visit Stories & Trends http://stories.gettyimages.com. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gettyimages and Twitter at https://twitter.com/GettyImages.
iStock by Getty Images vs Shutterstock comparison:
-iStock has 155K contributors from 165 countries vs. Shutterstock 60K+ contributors from 100+ countries
-Eighty percent of search results in key global markets are returned in under 3 seconds during core business hours on iStock, vs. 30% for Shutterstock
-Video HD from $48USD compared to $79USD for Shutterstock
-Minimum entry is $15USD vs. $29USD (2 images) at Shutterstock
-No daily download limits on subscriptions compared to a 25/daily download limit for Shutterstock
-Signature priced at $24-36USD per image (depending on pack size purchased)
