(Updates with Getty Images' response in the fifth paragraph.)

Getty Images' (GETY) proposed merger with Shutterstock (SSTK) has attracted potential scrutiny by the UK Competition and Markets Authority.

The antitrust regulator said Monday it is considering whether the deal would lead to the creation of a "relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 and, if so, whether the creation of that situation may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the [UK] for goods or services."

The CMA said it is issuing an invitation to comment to allow interested parties to submit their views on the potential impact of the transaction on competition in the UK. The comment period is scheduled to close July 7.

The regulator has not yet launched its formal investigation into the transaction, it said.

"As disclosed in our 10-Q, on April 22, 2025, the CMA invited Getty Images to submit a Merger Notice and that their review process was ongoing," a Getty Images spokesperson told MT Newswires. "The Invitation to Comment published by the CMA is a continuation of that review process."

Shutterstock did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for a comment.