The continued investigation by the CMA in the UK into a proposed merger of Getty Images and Shutterstock has circled back with a few suggestions and remedies to allow the situation to proceed – but there are restrictions.
From the most recent CMA update: … ‘A sale of the Wider Shutterstock Editorial Divestiture would require carving out the relevant businesses from Shutterstock’s broader business. Feedback received to date suggests that such a remedy package could be viable without the Shutterstock Editorial brand name and without the Shutterstock Editorial platform, which are also used by the wider Shutterstock Group to distribute stock content. This remedy package would include the Rex Features, Backgrid and Splash platforms, or alternatively, an appropriate purchaser may prefer to use its own proprietary platform.’ …
Don’t all rush to get the cheque book out …the CMA has put restrictions on who can own the properties …digest that all here – CMA report in detail – and read letters from the industry voicing opinions on the deal in general below.
**UPDATE** Getty Images disagree with the CMA report – this just in to PAN from a spokesperson at the agency:
‘We disagree with the provisional conclusions set out in the CMA’s interim report on remedies. The proposed merger does not constitute a substantial lessening of competition in the supply of editorial content in the UK, where customers continue to benefit from a wide range of choice and competitive alternatives. We also believe that the remedy proposed by the parties addresses the CMA’s provisional concerns. We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA and provide further evidence as part of the ongoing process.‘
Read responses to the (CMA) invitation to comment on remedies:
BBC
Contributor
Tom Williamson
Read Responses to the (CMA) interim report:
Parties joint response
Contributor responses
Market participant A response
NewsX response
Have your say to the CMA: [email protected]
Privacy notice
Your name and contact details are your personal data. In collecting, receiving, storing, accessing and using your personal data, the CMA, as controller, is processing your personal data. The CMA processes personal data in accordance with data protection law. The CMA is processing your personal data so that it can contact you again, should it need further help or information from you, in order to carry out its merger work under Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002. For more information about how the CMA processes personal data and your rights relating to that data, please see our Privacy notice.
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