Artlist acquires FXhome
Stock media company Artlist has acquired FXhome. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
FXhome, which develops editing, compositing and effects package HitFilm and image-editing tools Imerge Pro and Photokey Pro, will become Artlist’s software division.
The firm describes the immediate future as “business as usual”, although it hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Artlist-style subscription licensiong for its products in the longer term.
Part of Artgrid’s rapid expansion from stock music library to broader media company
Although only founded in 2016, Artgrid has grown rapidly, branching out from royalty-free music into sound effects and stock footage, via its daughter site Artgrid.
The firm acquired stock motion graphics and video editing resources site Motion Array in 2020, and now has a library of 820,000 assets and 7 million users, including Nike, Coca-Cola, IKEA and Google.
Its latest acquisition, FXhome, has been around for considerably longer, having been founded in 2001.
Over the past two decades, FXhome has built up a base of 6.3 million users, primarily for its flagship product HitFilm Pro, and its free edition HitFilm Express.
Initially primarily as a hobbyist’s tool, the all-in-one editing, compositing and effects software has steadily made inroads into professional pipelines as its original users joined commercial studios.
FXhome recently partnered with Foundry to integrate Nuke’s camera tracking technology into HitFilm.
The firm will now form Artlist’s software-development division, with all of its 30 staff joining Artlist.
‘Business as usual’ for FXhome – in the short term, at least
In a move unusual for corporate buyouts, but in keeping with the firm’s community-focused approach, FXhome has posted a video discussing the acquisition and the future of the company.
In it, founder and CEO Josh Davies describes Artlist as providing “the best curated content on the internet for film-makers”, and the two companies as being similar in philosophy.
Davies describes the immediate future as “business as usual” for FXhome and its products.
However, in responses to user comments on the video, FXhome has refused to rule out the possibility of its software switching from perpetual licences to the subscription model used by Artgrid.
“Subscription works really well for the Artlist community and libraries, but there are no immediate changes happening to HitFilm,” the firm wrote.
Artlist pitches the acquisition as a major step up for the company, with co-CEO Ira Belsky commenting that it “helps position Artlist alongside companies like Adobe” by providing video-creation tools as well as assets.
Read Artlist and FXhome’s official announcement of the buyout