A slightly different bit of news as Getty Images and Gran Turismo partner for FIA event photos. The deal means Getty Images is the Exclusive Photographic Agency for FIA Certified Gran Turismo eSport Events, including the FIA Gran Turismo Championships.
But is it a good thing?
“This partnership with Polyphony Digital signifies the next phase of sport photography and the true growth that is occurring across the esports landscape,” said Getty Images Global Head of Content Ken Mainardis. “Getty Images has long been at the forefront of innovating through its sport photography and by creating in-game imagery with expert motorsport photographers, Getty Images is staying ahead of the curve to deliver premium esports content to our customers around the world.”
The official press release goes on to say “As the exclusive Photographic Agency of the FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships, Getty Images will distribute innovative still imagery. Esports sponsors and suppliers will benefit from the agreed rights and access to Gran Turismo content while also ensuring media can continue to access editorial coverage via Getty Images.”
It’s an extension of a partnership which was running between Getty and the 2019 FIA GT Sport World Tour and the Syndey event which took place before lockdown.
The positive side is that it means some amazing photographers will be using the in-game tools to capture stunning photos. Which will be widely available for media use around the world. You can check out some of the great photos by Clive Rose available via Getty, here.
But having worked for media companies across two decades, I’m also aware of the potential downsides for rights-managed licensed photos and videos.
Essentially it means that access to photos from those events will be limited to anything made available for free in press material, or those who can afford to pay the license fees (which would rule out pretty much all sim racing websites).
That’s fine while it’s focused on specific games and events, but if it does spread to more sim racing titles, it’s going to make promoting games and events more of a challenge. Specifically when you get into all the legalities of time-limited rights management for assets.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the future, but for the moment at least we can enjoy seeing the results of great photographers devoting time to sim racing photography, even if we can’t share any of their work.
Either way, you can keep up with the latest GT Sport news, updates and eSports coverage, here. And the latest on the new Gran Turismo 7 title, here.
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