Scanpix

Scanpix emerged in 1999 from the merger of Scan-Foto and the photographic department of NTB Pluss. The combination brought together photographic resources and distribution capabilities under a Scandinavian-facing brand, creating a network intended to serve the region's newspaper and publishing industries with both current and archival imagery. Following its formation, Scanpix operated through country-specific branches rather than as a single uniform national business. The network included Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Estonia. These branches maintained local relationships with newspapers, photographers, agencies, publishers, and commercial customers, while contributing to the broader Scanpix identity as a regional photographic-services provider. The organization's principal service was the supply of daily news photographs to subscribing newspapers. This service was complemented by licensing for magazines, advertising agencies, publishing houses, and other users requiring editorial or commercial imagery. Scanpix also acted as a distributor for external photographic agencies. In Norway, the company represented material from more than 80 agencies, including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, extending the range of imagery available to its customers beyond photographs produced directly by Scanpix personnel. Archival holdings became another defining feature of the business. Scanpix maintained more than 12 million photographs in digital form and millions more in physical formats. The archive supported historical research, editorial illustration, publishing, and commercial licensing. Local collections were particularly important: Scanpix Denmark was reported to hold Denmark's largest historical-photograph archive, with more than 20 million photographs. The ownership model varied between national operations. Scanpix Norway was owned by NTB and Schibsted, while Scanpix Sweden was owned by Bonnier, Schibsted, and Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå, commonly known as TT. Scanpix Denmark was owned by Berlingske Tidende. These arrangements connected the brand to major Scandinavian media groups and news organizations, helping it serve newspaper customers while retaining country-level operational identities. By the mid-2000s, the national branches had become substantial photographic businesses. The Norwegian operation employed photographers alongside other staff, and the Swedish operation likewise maintained a staff that included photographers. Available source material records branch-level financial and staffing information for 2006, but does not establish later performance, ownership changes, or whether the Scanpix brand continued unchanged. Consequently, the brand's present status cannot be confirmed from the supplied references.

• 2006

  Documented national branch operations

  [1]Scanpixen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material documented established Scanpix operations in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, including local staff, ownership structures, and large photographic archives.

• 1999

  Formation through merger

  [1]Scanpixen.wikipedia.org

  Scanpix was established through the merger of Scan-Foto and the photographic department of NTB Pluss.

A professional Scandinavian photo agency combining daily editorial news coverage, stock-image licensing, agency distribution, and extensive historical archives.

• Editorial photography

  Daily news photography service

  Scanpix supplied current photographic news coverage to subscribing newspapers. The service was designed for professional editorial workflows, allowing newspaper customers to access and publish timely images through the Scanpix network and its partner agencies.

• Stock photography

  Stock photography licensing

  The brand licensed photographs to magazines, advertising agencies, publishing houses, and other professional users. Its offering combined contemporary editorial imagery with archive material suitable for illustration, historical features, commercial communication, and publishing.

• Photographic archive

  Historical photographic archives

  Scanpix maintained extensive digital and physical collections. The organization described a digital archive of more than 12 million photographs in addition to millions of physical images, with national collections providing access to Scandinavian historical visual records.

• Image distribution

  Third-party agency distribution

  Scanpix Norway distributed photographs on behalf of numerous outside agencies, including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. This model expanded the selection available to customers and integrated international news imagery into the Scandinavian distribution network.

1. 1Scanpixen.wikipedia.org