Corbis is changing. It is spinning off the right clearance aspect of its business known as
Greenlight and renaming it
Corbis Entertainment.
It is our understanding that the rest of the company including Creative and Editorial licensing will be sold off and to some degree dismantled. It is unclear to whom these operations will be sold or exactly how the dismantling will occur, but more information is expected to be forthcoming later this week.
If you go to
Corbisimages.com you’re notice that News, Sports and Entertainment images as well as Outline are still available under the Editorial segment of the business. It is believed that all these operations will be sold off to a new owner along with the Creative side of the business. A month ago it was rumored that
Visual China was discussing a possible acquisition with Corbis, but it is unclear if they were the only suitor or if others are in the running.
The
Corbis Entertainment website makes no mention of image licensing, but focuses entirely on rights clearance. “Corbis Entertainment is a global end-to-end solution for brands and agencies to build groundbreaking, results-driven programs in partnership with Hollywood content, celebrities, music and sports.”
To get a better idea of where they will be concentrating future efforts take a look at
this video.
Gary Shenk will be CEO of Corbis Entertainment. He has been with Corbis for over a decade and began his career in the Entertainment Industry as a project leader for Boston Consultant Group’s media and entertainment practice. Gary has championed the vision for Corbis Entertainment through a combination of organic growth, strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
Corbis Entertainment is a global end-to-end solution for brands and agencies to build groundbreaking, results-driven programs in partnership with Hollywood content, celebrities, music and sports.
The Greenlight website says, "
GreenLight has rebranded and will now go by the name Corbis Entertainment. While we have always been a part of Corbis, this name change will allow us to take full advantage of the growing network of Corbis Entertainment clients, comprised of nearly every major brand and advertising agency in the world. We will still provide unique access to iconic celebrities through our Rights Representation Roster and to other entertainment properties through our Rights Clearances service."