Alamy
UK stock photo and editorial image licensing agency owned by PA Media Group.
On the record
Checkpoint: UK CMA divestiture window for Getty-Shutterstock editorial assets (Rex, Splash News, Backgrid) closes
The call
Alamy's editorial archive still has real value that AI can't copy, but Getty is the one signing the AI licensing deals while Alamy's generic stock business quietly shrinks.
Alamy sells stock photos and owns a collection of British news photos going back over 100 years, which competitors cannot easily fake or recreate. Getty Images, which is much bigger and just merged with Shutterstock, has already made deals to let AI companies like OpenAI and Perplexity use its images, but Alamy has not. Meanwhile, regular stock photos are being replaced by AI-generated images, so Alamy's main business is shrinking while Getty controls most of the market and gets AI payments Alamy does not. The one thing that could save Alamy is if it strikes its own deal with a major AI company in the next year, or if a smaller photo company becomes available to buy.
Why
01
AI pressure: Generative AI image tools (Midjourney, DALL-E, Firefly, Sora). These tools now generate lifestyle and generic images on demand, cutting the need to license that kind of shot from Alamy. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Getty Images (post-Shutterstock merger). Getty, now roughly 57% of licensed stock, has already struck AI licensing deals with Perplexity and OpenAI; Alamy has not landed an equivalent. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. PA Images gives Alamy a 100+ year British news and editorial archive with verified provenance that generative AI cannot fabricate.
What would change this call
Alamy announces a licensing deal with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or Perplexity within 12 months. Would show Alamy can monetize its archive before Getty locks the AI distribution channel.
Rex Features, Splash News, or Backgrid assets are sold or absorbed after the Getty-Shutterstock divestiture period closes. Shows whether editorial rivals gain ground or Getty's consolidation proceeds unchecked.
Alamy's Trustpilot rating and contributor headcount growth over the next year. Would indicate whether reputational friction is eroding its contributor supply base.
Rex Features, Splash News, or Backgrid assets are sold or absorbed after the Getty-Shutterstock divestiture period closes. Shows whether editorial rivals gain ground or Getty's consolidation proceeds unchecked.
Alamy's Trustpilot rating and contributor headcount growth over the next year. Would indicate whether reputational friction is eroding its contributor supply base.
Key numbers
- PA Images archive spans 100+ years of UK news photography
- Getty holds ~57% of licensed stock after buying Shutterstock
- Alamy headcount grew just 2.5% YoY to ~656 staff
Named risks
- Getty-Shutterstock consolidation controls ~57% of market, limiting Alamy's distribution reach.
- Generative AI substituting Alamy's generic stock catalog, its largest volume segment.
- No frontier AI-lab licensing deal secured while Getty ships OpenAI and Perplexity integrations.
- 1.6-star Trustpilot rating signals customer trust and reputation problems.
- Inconsistent enforcement of anti-AI-content policy undermines authenticity positioning.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Getty Images | losing to | Getty signed AI licensing deals with Perplexity (Oct 2025) and OpenAI (21 Jun 2026); Alamy has none |
| Getty Images (post-Shutterstock) | losing to | Combined entity estimated at ~57% of licensed stock market as of Jul 2026 |
| Generative AI tools (Midjourney, DALL-E, Firefly, Sora) | losing to | Generic stock demand falling; Getty Creative segment down ~5% YoY in 2024 |
| Shutterstock | contesting | Merger with Getty pending editorial divestiture (Rex, Splash News, Backgrid) as of May 2026 |
Questions people ask
- Who owns Alamy?
- Alamy Limited has been wholly owned by PA Media Group, formerly the Press Association, since PA Media Group acquired 100% of Alamy's share capital on 11 February 2020. PA Media Group itself is owned by roughly 20 UK news organizations, led by DMGT plc, News UK plc, Reach plc, and Informa plc.
- Is Alamy profitable in 2026?
- No verified financial filing or profit figure for Alamy Limited was found as of July 2026. The company is privately held by PA Media Group and has not publicly disclosed revenue or profitability; only unverified third-party revenue estimates exist, which do not qualify as confirmed financial disclosure.
- Could AI replace Alamy's business?
- Generic lifestyle and concept stock, Alamy's bulk catalog, is already being displaced by generative tools like Midjourney and Sora; Getty's comparable Creative segment fell nearly 5% year-on-year in 2024. Alamy's editorial and PA Images news archive, spanning 100+ years, is harder to replace due to provenance requirements.
- Is Alamy a safe company to join as an employee?
- Alamy's headcount grew modestly from about 577 in March 2022 to roughly 654-656 by mid-2026, a 2.5% year-over-year growth rate per Crustdata tracking as of 28 June 2026, and LinkedIn listed 653 employees in February 2026, no reported layoffs found.
- Who is Alamy's biggest competitor?
- Getty Images is Alamy's dominant rival, having merged with Shutterstock in a $3.7B deal that received unconditional US DOJ clearance in February 2026 and conditional UK CMA approval on 15 May 2026; the combined entity is estimated to control around 57% of the licensed stock photography market.
- Has Alamy made any AI licensing deals like Getty has?
- As of July 2026, no frontier AI-lab licensing deal for Alamy's archive has been reported. Getty Images signed deals with Perplexity AI in October 2025 and OpenAI/ChatGPT on 21 June 2026; Alamy's only AI move is an internal semantic search tool, Smart Search, launched 22 April 2026 on AWS.
Timeline
- 2026-06-24UK CMA comment period on Getty-Shutterstock editorial divestiture undertakings closed
- 2026-06-21Getty Images announced display-licensing deal with OpenAI for ChatGPT
- 2026-05-15UK CMA gave conditional approval to Getty-Shutterstock merger with divestiture terms
- 2026-04-22Alamy launched AI-driven semantic search tool 'Smart Search' built on AWS
- 2026-02US DOJ granted unconditional clearance to $3.7B Getty-Shutterstock merger
- 2025-10Getty Images signed multi-year display-licensing deal with Perplexity AI
- 2025-09-15New Alamy contributor contract took effect for pre-August-2025 contributors
- 2020-11-26PA Images' 100+ year editorial photo archive added to Alamy's platform
- 2020-02-11PA Media Group acquired 100% of Alamy's share capital
Revision history
24 July 2026
First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- Is Alamy Legit And Worth Using In 2026? (2026-06-04)
- PA Media Group Acquires Alamy, the Global Stock Imagery Business (2020-02-11)
- Alamy adds PA Images' library (2020-11-26)
- PA Media Group acquires Alamy (2020-08-14)
- About us
- Alamy Revenue, Funding & Valuation
- Alamy - Headcount, Funding & Open Jobs (2026-06-28)
- LinkedIn (2026-02-26)
- Alamy contributor help and FAQs (2025-09-14)
- Alamy leverages Amazon Web Services... (2026-04-23)
- Submit your creatives, maximize your income
- Getty Images OpenAI Deal Puts Licensed Photos in ChatGPT (2026-06-24)