Checked October 11, 2026
AI data licensing deals and what they paid
These AI data licensing deals were announced by the companies involved. Where an amount is known, it comes from a filing or earnings release, or it's labeled as reported with the outlet named.
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The deals
Twelve disclosed AI data licensing deals
"Filing" means the amount comes from an SEC filing, earnings release or company market update. "Reported" means a news outlet published it and the companies didn't. Most AI data licensing deals never disclose a price.
| Deal | Year | What was licensed | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reddit and Google | 2024 | Real-time and historical Reddit content via its Data API | $203.0M across all January 2024 data deals, 2–3 years (filing) |
| Reddit and OpenAI | 2024 | Real-time Reddit content in OpenAI products | Not disclosed |
| News Corp and OpenAI | 2024 | Current and archived WSJ, Barron's, New York Post and other titles | More than $250M over 5 years (reported, WSJ) |
| Dotdash Meredith and OpenAI | 2024 | People, Allrecipes, Investopedia and other content, with attribution | At least about $16M a year, plus variable (reported, Adweek) |
| Wiley | 2024–25 | Scholarly and professional content, to unnamed tech companies | $23M (FY2024) and $40M (FY2025) AI licensing revenue (filing) |
| Informa (Taylor & Francis) and Microsoft | 2024 | Non-exclusive access to Advanced Learning content | $10M+ initial fee, plus recurring payments 2025–27 (filing) |
| Shutterstock and OpenAI | 2023 | Six years of image, video, music and metadata for training | Not disclosed for this deal |
| HarperCollins and Microsoft | 2024 | Selected nonfiction backlist titles, author opt-in | $5,000 per title, half to the author (reported) |
| Associated Press and OpenAI | 2023 | Select AP news content, plus technology sharing | Not disclosed |
| Financial Times and OpenAI | 2024 | FT journalism, attributed in ChatGPT and used to improve models | Not disclosed |
| Stack Overflow and OpenAI | 2024 | Technical Q&A via OverflowAPI, with attribution | Not disclosed |
| Getty Images and Perplexity | 2025 | Display of Getty images in AI search, with credit and links | Not disclosed |
Reading the numbers
What the disclosed AI data licensing deals show
Publishers and platforms with large, fresh archives sign directly with the labs. Reddit, News Corp, Dotdash Meredith and the FT all bring content that updates daily, and several deals pay for ongoing access, not a one-time copy.
Recurring payments are common. Informa's deal pairs an initial fee of more than $10 million with payments through 2027. IAC described a fixed and a variable part in its OpenAI payment. Wiley's AI licensing revenue grew from $23 million to $40 million in a year.
Many AI data licensing deals cover display as well as training. The FT, Dotdash Meredith and Getty deals all involve showing attributed content in AI products.
Per-unit prices that have been made public
- Photos: $0.05 to $1 per photo, more than $1 per video, in Photobucket's talks with AI companies (reported, Reuters via PetaPixel).
- Business records: data startups paying HVAC companies $150,000 for data (reported, The Information, July 2026).
- Books: $5,000 per nonfiction title in HarperCollins' Microsoft offer, with $2,500 to the author (reported).
- Marketplace cuts: 3% on AWS Data Exchange public offers, 30% down to 5% on Opendatabay (published).
- Creator shares: a 20% average royalty at Shutterstock and a 50/50 split at Wirestock (published).
The market around the deals
Grand View Research expects the AI training dataset market to reach $16.3 billion by 2033, growing 22.6% a year. MarketsandMarkets estimated it at $2.82 billion in 2024, reaching $9.58 billion by 2029. Estimates differ because the firms define the market differently.
To work out what your own data might be worth, see data valuation. For the contract terms behind these deals, read AI data licensing.
Questions
Common questions
What is the biggest disclosed AI data licensing deal?
Among figures companies published themselves, Reddit's S-1 put its January 2024 data licensing contracts at $203.0 million combined over two to three years. News Corp's OpenAI deal was reported by The Wall Street Journal at more than $250 million over five years, but the companies didn't publish that figure.
How much do AI companies pay per item of data?
Few per-item prices are public. Reported figures include $0.05 to $1 per photo in Photobucket's talks and $5,000 per nonfiction title in HarperCollins' Microsoft offer, half of it to authors. Treat reported numbers as signals, not price lists.
Can smaller companies get deals like these?
Smaller holders usually sell through marketplaces and brokers rather than direct deals. See where to sell data to AI companies.
Sources
- Reddit S-1 (data licensing)
- Reddit and OpenAI
- News Corp and OpenAI
- Variety: News Corp deal value (WSJ report)
- AP and OpenAI
- Financial Times and OpenAI
- Adweek: Dotdash Meredith and OpenAI payment
- Wiley fiscal 2025 results (SEC)
- Informa market update (May 2024)
- Shutterstock and OpenAI six-year deal
- Stack Overflow and OpenAI
- Getty Images and Perplexity
- Music Ally: HarperCollins AI deal details
- PetaPixel: Photobucket licensing talks
- The Information: data startups paying HVAC companies $150,000 (Jul 2026)
- Grand View Research: AI training dataset market
- MarketsandMarkets: AI training dataset market
Checked October 11, 2026. Prices, programs and job postings change, so confirm on each page.