Gruß,
Stefan

Jonathan Klein, Getty’s co-founder and chief executive of Getty Images
We are enthusiastic about entering the next phase of Getty Images’ evolution by partnering with Hellman Friedman as we continue to provide innovative offerings to businesses and consumers in a very dynamic digital media environment

Andy Ballard, managing director of Hellman & Friedman
Getty Images is the leader and pioneer in the visual content and digital media business. We believe in the vision and execution capabilities of Jonathan Klein and his team, and share their commitment to the Company’s stakeholders and customers.

Alan Mekler, CEO Jupitermedia
One plus for Getty CEO Jonathan Klein is that he no longer has to run the Wall Street gauntlet every quarter. One plus for us is that we no longer will be judged by Getty Images’ public numbers. This is good because I think we are doing better than Getty. Getty’s numbers cast a bad light on the stock image business and us. Now we move forward without Getty Images’ numbers hanging around our neck.

It will be interesting to see if any changes occur at Getty now that it will have a new owner. I certainly can suggest several, but I doubt anyone will consult with me!
http://weblogs.jupitermedia.com/meckler/

Paul Melcher
It’s the silence of the eyes, where photography speaks for itself, finally freed from its numerical chains. It is the reassuring silence of professional eyes looking at content, rather than excel spreadsheets. Ten years of brutal despotism by numbers finally over. Getty becoming private is the best turn this industry could have wished for. Not because it will affect the market in a positive way, although it might, but mostly because it will force people to analyze the content rather than the shell.
(…) Sure we will continue to have numbers thrown at us, either from Alamy or from a Gary Shenk, somewhere from deep inside Second Life. Certainly, A21 will certainly continue to announce with great pride new loans in order to keep their amusing little stock afloat on its own kindergarten stock market. But that will certainly not make the industry tremble and sleepless.(…)
They will be a real debate, and concern, that Getty Images has great photography and surpasses a lot of its peers by hosting talented photographers, regardless of how many image they sold. Maybe it will push the competition to rethink its content rather than their balance sheet. Maybe we will start seeing less greenish imagery or flashed pale individuals in front of white walls.
Come to think of it, the argumentation might even become about who has the best images rather than who has the most. It could even be that people start classifying photo agencies by the value ( artistic) rather than the amount of images sold . Could very well be that this new found silence might distract us from thinking that making a gazillion billion dollars might not be an end in itself. And that, maybe, just maybe, there is pleasure in creating and selling great images.
Wasn’t this the reason we all started in this business ?
http://blog.melchersystem.com/