Photo agency Scanpix in Denmark – which works closely with affiliates in Sweden and Norway, and with Reuters and AFP and EPA – has been sold to the Danish news agency Ritzaus Bureau A/S. The name of the new image agency will be ‘Ritzau Scanpix’.
Ritzaus Bureau takes over all Scanpix employees, all agreements with customers and cooperation agreements with suppliers as well as Scanpix’ proprietary and unique image system. The transfer of Scanpix takes place with effect from 1 January 2018.
In April this year we reported Ritzaus Bureau acquired the photo agency, Polfoto, from the media group JP/Politikens Hus. Ritzaus Bureau say on the Scanpix addition: “The acquisition allows us to develop and strengthen the image supply to anyone who needs professional news and archive photos. We want to increase the selection and improve accessibility. …the agency business is the core business, and in a news service, text and images are two sides of the same coin. The transfer will strengthen the image coverage”
Scanpix owners – Danish media group Berlingske Media – say: “We have been very glad to have Scanpix in our portfolio for many years, and we are a bit sad of the fact that Scanpix is no longer to be a part of Berlingske Media. For a long period, we have been in dialogue with Ritzaus Bureau about the possibility of establishing a strong Danish image agency. By now transferring ownership to Ritzaus Bureau, we fulfill this wish and help create a strong image agency that can continue to deliver a deep and wide product range”.