Key Highlights

  • Getty Images announced a multi-year display agreement with OpenAI, placing its licensed content libraries across ChatGPT search and discovery experiences to enhance visual responses.
  • GETY is trading at $1.86 pre-market June 22, up 207.54% from the June 18 close of $0.61, on a stock that has traded as low as $0.58 in its 52-week range.
  • The partnership provides a licensed, commercially safe content supply to OpenAI and validates Getty Images' AI content strategy, which includes generative AI tools trained on permissioned content with indemnification rights.

OpenAI Partnership Drives Pre-Market Surge

Getty Images Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GETY) is trading at $1.86 in pre-market June 22, 2026, up 207.54% from the June 18 close of $0.61. Getty Images is a Seattle, Washington-based global visual content creator and marketplace, founded in 1995, operating the Getty Images, iStock, and Unsplash brands. With over 477 million licensed assets, and a market capitalisation of $253.51 million, the company is led by CEO Craig Peters.

The catalyst is the June 21 announcement of a multi-year display agreement with OpenAI. Under the partnership, Getty Images' licensed content libraries will appear across OpenAI search and discovery experiences within ChatGPT, enhancing the richness of visual responses. CEO Craig Peters described it as reflecting a shared recognition that high-quality, licensed visual content makes AI-powered search more useful and trustworthy.

Why This Partnership Matters

The agreement establishes a revenue-bearing licensing relationship with one of the most widely used AI platforms, converting potential unlicensed display usage into a formal commercial arrangement and validating Getty Images as a preferred licensed content partner for AI companies seeking commercially safe, indemnified assets.

For OpenAI, the deal provides a supply of premium licensed imagery for ChatGPT's visual search and discovery layer, addressing a known concern about the provenance and licensability of visuals used in AI-generated responses. The partnership follows a broader trend of AI platforms formalising content licensing arrangements with established media and content companies.

Valuation and Risk Considerations

GETY reports a negative EPS of $0.26 and trades without a conventional P/E ratio. The 52-week range of $0.58 to $3.21 reflects ongoing investor uncertainty about the company's long-term positioning amid the Shutterstock merger debate and broader disruption from AI-generated imagery. Key risks include the scope and financial terms of the OpenAI agreement, the pace of the pending Shutterstock combination, and the structural challenge of competing in a market where AI generation is rapidly expanding the supply of low-cost visuals.

Conclusion

Getty Images' pre-market surge reflects a confirmed, named AI partnership that directly validates the licensed content strategy and establishes ChatGPT as a distribution channel for its visual library.