April 2, 2009 by pmelcher.

In a surprising move, we just heard that the NFL has apparently canceled the deal they had sign with Getty Images back in 2004. This is a big blow for the Mega agency who could lose millions of dollars in annual revenues. It is not clear who has picked up the deal, but rumors tend to confirmed it might be Associated Press.

Getty Images had signed a non exclusive agreement, back in 2004, with the NFL ( National Football League) regarding syndication of the leagues images. At the time, they had battled hard and long with Mediavast, which they have since acquired. The deal had included large guarantees and had generated a ton of protest, mostly from photographers. It is largely assumed that it was a major profit center for the Seattle-based company.

It is not only a huge blow for the Getty revenue stream, who had partially build itself as the aggregate of all things sports, but also for its branding . Along with Baseball ( MLB) , Hockey ( NHL)   and Basketball ( NBA),  American Football is one of the most followed sport in the USA. Will these other leagues  follow ?

Posted in license, magazine, transaction, editorial, news, getty | Print | 4 Comments »

April 2, 2009 by pmelcher.

Just heard about this today and while it is a little late in the game, it is still interesting. Did not read about it anywhere else.

The idea is quite simple. you submit  a project you really want to shoot, post it and have people vote for it. There is no portfolio review, at least not yet, to see if you are capable of shooting it. the 20 top ones, that is the ones with the most votes are then reviewed by a panel of judges and the winner gets $50,000 and a cool Levono Photo laptop . Voting ends April 3 so hurry up.

Posted in magazine, technology, web 2.0, photojournalism, editorial, finance, news | Print | No Comments »