ASP International Enters Into Exclusive Distribution Partnership with Getty Images

COOLANGATTA, Australia -- The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) and Getty Images, Inc., the world's leading creator and distributor of visual content and other digital media, today jointly announced that Getty Images will be the exclusive commercial worldwide distribution partner of imagery captured by ASP photographers. This is the first time the ASP has awarded exclusive access to their exceptional action, lifestyle and travel photography collection of more than 4,000 images. The deal includes exclusive distribution of photography from ASP's 2009 Dream Tour Competition.

"The strategic partnership with Getty Images will increase the reach of imagery captured by ASP World Tour events exponentially," said ASP CEO Brodie Carr. "Not only will the ASP and its athletes enjoy increased exposure and more mainstream sports coverage, but leveraging Getty Images' global platform will offer an entirely new audience a peek into the exciting world of pro-surfing."

Through this partnership, Getty Images will manage the global distribution and licensing of ASP's rich archive of pivotal moments in pro surfing via gettyimages.com/surfingpros to service media customers, marketing partners and other third-party outlets. In additiona, Getty Images will distribute and license all content captured by sanctioned ASP photographers at the 2009 ASP World Tour and 2009 Women's World Tour events, offering clients a unique opportunity to ride along as the "Dream Tour" visits the most idyllic beaches in Australia, Tahiti, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, France, Spain, California and Hawaii.

"Getty Images is committed to providing customers with striking, relevant imagery to visually narrate their stories," said Brandon Lopez, director of sport operations at Getty Images. "The ASP photographers are a talented group who consistently capture some of the most dynamic surf imagery today."

"Surfing continues to grow as a professional sport and as a global sports property, and we are delighted to add ASP to our comprehensive sports content portfolio, making this incredible imagery even more accessible to our customers worldwide," said Chris Janka, market development executive at Getty Images. "This partnership further demonstrates Getty Images' unique expertise to conserve, market, license and manage sports photography rights and collections."

Getty Images is a recognized leader in photographic excellence, consistently gaining industry prominence by earning top awards and demonstrating a solid commitment to the highest photojournalism standards. This leadership has led Getty Images to become the accredited photo supplier to more than 50 international sports leagues and govering bodies, housing the most prolific sports collection.

To access the ASP collection, visit: http://www.gettyimages.com/surfingpros or www.aspworldtour.com. Please contact Chris Janka at christopher.janka@gettyimages.com or Melissa Buckley at melissa@aspworldtour.com for more information.