Scoopshot Secures $1.2 Million in New Funding to Take on Stock Photo Sites with on-Demand Service

LONDON, July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Scoopshot is taking on the multi billion-dollar photo industry with a new service for crowdsourcing on-demand photography in minutes, backed by Yuri Arcurs. Offering an alternative to stale stock photo libraries and expensive agencies, Scoopshot gives all photo buyers the ability to set assignments for its global network of 280,000+ mobile photographers.

The photography-on-demand service has received $1.2 million funding from Yuri Arcurs, the world's top selling stock photographer, who sells one photo every eight seconds.  Scoopshot will use the funding to accelerate its international growth with a focus on the UK, US and German markets.

"Today, relevant and unique content is what matters for brands and media companies in order to truly engage consumers. Crowdsourcing offers the unique opportunity to gain both, while adding the element of engagement to the photo sourcing process itself" says Mr. Rahja founder and COO of Scoopshot. "With Scoopshot you can crowdsource images, run photo competitions, do content marketing, gain consumer insights and much more. Your imagination is the only limiting factor" Mr. Rahja continues.  

The birth of on-demand photography could sound the death knell for the stock industry as we know it, says Scoopshot CEO, Niko Ruokosuo:  "Buyers are tired of wading through page after page of stale and over-used photography, before having to compromise. For the first time, they can request exactly what they want and receive it within minutes and without spending a fortune. The birth of on-demand photography will be as much of a game changer for the photo industry as iTunes for the Music industry," says Mr. Ruokosuo.

Scoopshot offers local, national and global photo assignments. Location-based local tasks can be created for free, with national and global tasks available for a small fee. Photo buyers can pay to send an instant notification to photographers in a specific location alerting them of the task, extend the duration of a task, or brand the task with a logo. All photos submitted are available to buy for just $5 each. Brands that have already used Scoopshot to source photos on-demand include Oxfam, Malibu, Fiat, and Vogel's.

"It is our belief that the majority of stock photography will be on-demand within the next five years. To survive, photo sites must adapt and adopt new models for monetising photography. It really is a case of do or die," added Mr Ruokosuo.

Scoopshot also offers subscriptions for media users, providing a live feed of eyewitness photos from its crowd of mobile photographers in 177 countries.

"Media coverage is becoming much more visual. Long pages of text are giving way to image-heavy articles. Consequently, demand for photos is increasing," said Mr Ruokosuo. "With our global army of photographers expanding daily, we're offering instant access to authenticated eyewitness photos from across the globe and the ability to request photos from any location. Aside from saving time, eye witness photography is a powerful supplement to freelance and staff photography."  

To set a task, visit Scoopshot's website at: http://www.scoopshot.com

About Scoopshot

Scoopshot is a disruptive digital service that changes the way modern media companies and content marketers work with photos and videos. With Scoopshot anyone has instant access to a global pool of both mobile and professional photographers. Send out photo tasks to engage the crowd, assign professional photographers, or buy photos from a constant stream of consumer photos from around the world. Operating in 177 countries, Scoopshot has signed up more than 280,000 mobile photographers and over 1,100 professional photographers. More than 60 media companies in 15 countries use Scoopshot's service to source photos and commission bespoke photography.

For more information, please contact:
Matt Watson/Caroline Higgins
Hotwire PR
[email protected]
[email protected]
+44(0)207-608-2500

SOURCE Scoopshot