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 ?
Hey Paul…Do you know if the deal was just cut from Getty or also affected WireImage Sports?
I do not know. I am sure we will have confirmation soon one way or the other.
Getty signed a deal with another major league, the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals). Don’t you think that should make up for lost revenue?
@ Whatarepictures: Doubtful that surfing will compensate for Football. The confirmation is here : http://ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/pr_040609d.html.
AP has also snatched the NCAA