Getty Images has completed its $200 million purchase of WireImage in a deal that will see the photography giant move further into multimedia.
The sale of WireImage, a US-based specialist entertainment agency, is part of a deal that includes MediaVast, the owner of WireImage, and sub-brands FilmMagic and Contour Photos.
Getty says the deal will enable it to develop services including podcasts, editorial video, multimedia and mobile.
Getty Images vice president for editorial sales, Lee Martin said: "The acquisition takes us forward in terms of celebrity footage and multimedia products so we will be doing audio where photographers will talk over an event and it will be packaged."
Martin said a typical example of multimedia demand was national newspaper groups, who looked to Getty to supply more than just still imagery.
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