Rex Features
Rex Features is a London-based editorial photography agency, operating as Shutterstock Editorial since its 2019 acquisition, licensing news, entertainment, royalty, and sports imagery to global media organizations and publishers via a web-based live feed platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1954
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Rex Features does
Rex Features is a London-headquartered editorial photography agency founded in 1954, operating as "Shutterstock Editorial - formerly Rex Features" following its 2019 acquisition by Shutterstock. The company provides licensed editorial imagery — spanning news, entertainment, royalty, and sports categories — to media organizations, publishers, broadcast outlets, and entertainment publications globally. Its core product is a web-based platform that delivers a real-time Live Feed of categorized editorial image galleries alongside a Lightbox feature that allows registered users to save and organize images for later licensing. The platform architecture supports category-level filtering, account-based access, and digital download of licensed assets, with the underlying infrastructure now shared with Shutterstock's broader content distribution network.
The business model is B2B editorial image licensing on a transactional fee basis, with pricing negotiated through a dedicated enterprise sales team rather than publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is hybrid: a self-serve online platform for browsing and licensing, supplemented by direct sales outreach for enterprise agreements. Customer segments are horizontal and include news organizations, entertainment and celebrity media, sports media, and royal/celebrity coverage outlets. Geographic reach is global, with documented event coverage spanning the UK, continental Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and South Asia.
The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Shutterstock's portfolio of visual content services, retaining the Rex Features brand heritage for brand-recognition purposes while leveraging the parent's platform infrastructure and enterprise sales reach. No API, SDK, AI/ML features, or mobile applications are disclosed; the service is delivered through a standard web-based login, search, and download interface. Revenue is not separately disclosed, and the unit is not reported as a standalone segment in the available data.
Rex Features firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rex Features
- Legal name
- Rex Features Ltd
- Website
- https://rexfeatures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1954
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Rex Features is a London-based editorial photography agency, operating as Shutterstock Editorial since its 2019 acquisition, licensing news, entertainment, royalty, and sports imagery to global media organizations and publishers via a web-based live feed platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Rex Features is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rex Features business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Editorial Image Licensing: Licensing of editorial photographs including news events, celebrity/entertainment coverage, royal events, and sports imagery to media organizations, publishers, and broadcast outlets.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Rex Features product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rex Features is a London-based editorial photography agency founded in 1954 that licenses news, celebrity, sports, royal, and entertainment imagery to media organizations worldwide. Following its 2019 acquisition by Shutterstock, the agency now operates as Shutterstock Editorial, providing licensed editorial photographs for use in news publications and media outlets.
Product overview
Rex Features (now operating as Shutterstock Editorial) is a single-product editorial photography platform offering a web-based image licensing service. The core offering consists of the main editorial image platform providing access to a live feed of categorized photographs spanning News, Entertainment, Royalty, and Sport categories, supplemented by a Lightbox feature for registered users to save and organize images. The service operates through a login-based web interface where media professionals can search, browse, and download editorial images for licensed use.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Editorial Image Platform Online archive of editorial photographs licensed to news organizations, publishers, and entertainment media for editorial use.
Companies that use Rex Features
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Rex Features technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Rex Features partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ShutterstockcoreRex Features operates as part of Shutterstock Editorial division. The Rex Features brand was acquired by Shutterstock and now trades as 'Shutterstock Editorial - formerly Rex Features'. This integration provides access to Shutterstock's broader content distribution network and platform infrastructure while maintaining specialized editorial photography coverage.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Rex Features competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Getty Images: The dominant global editorial and stock photo agency. Directly competes with Rex Features in editorial photography licensing to news, entertainment, and sports media, and offers overlapping enterprise licensing and live feed capabilities.
- WENN: Celebrity and entertainment photo agency. Directly competes with Rex Features in entertainment/celebrity editorial coverage to tabloids, magazines, and entertainment outlets.
- Alamy: Stock and editorial photography platform licensing images to media and creative customers. Comparable as a B2B image licensing business, though more weighted toward stock than editorial.
- Splash News: Celebrity and paparazzi photo agency licensed to entertainment media. Overlaps with Rex Features in entertainment/celebrity editorial coverage, particularly for red-carpet and high-profile events.
- SIPA Press: French photo agency distributing editorial images across news, entertainment, and culture. Comparable international editorial photo licensing business with strong European presence.
- AFP (Agence France-Presse): Global news photo agency distributing editorial images across news, entertainment, royalty, and sports categories. Directly comparable to Rex Features as a wire-service editorial image licensor with a global photographer network.
- PA Images (Press Association): UK-based news and sports photo agency serving British and international media. Highly comparable to Rex Features geographically and topically, particularly for UK news, royal, and sports coverage.
- Zuma Press: Editorial photo agency providing news, entertainment, and sports imagery to media clients globally. Comparable in editorial scope and B2B licensing model to Rex Features.
- Associated Press (AP Images): Major news photo agency providing editorial photography to media outlets worldwide. Competes head-to-head with Rex Features for breaking news and sports coverage licensing, with a comparable B2B sales motion to publishers.
Broad incumbents
- Shutterstock: Parent company that owns Rex Features and now operates it as Shutterstock Editorial. Overlaps in content licensing but with a much broader portfolio spanning stock photography, video, music, and AI-generated content.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Rex Features social profiles
Digital presenceRex Features financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rex Features leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Rex Features funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rex Features M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rex Features
What does Rex Features do?
Rex Features is a London-based editorial photography agency founded in 1954 that licenses news, celebrity, sports, royal, and entertainment imagery to media organizations worldwide. Following its 2019 acquisition by Shutterstock, the agency now operates as Shutterstock Editorial, providing licensed editorial photographs for use in news publications and media outlets.
Is Rex Features a public or private company?
Rex Features is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Rex Features founded?
Rex Features was founded in 1954. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Rex Features based?
Rex Features is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Rex Features make money?
One revenue line is on record: editorial Image Licensing.
Who are Rex Features's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Getty Images, WENN, Alamy, Splash News, SIPA Press, AFP (Agence France-Presse), PA Images (Press Association), Zuma Press and Associated Press (AP Images). Shutterstock is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Rex Features have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rex Features.