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Acquisition closed

Meta acquires GIPHY (2020)

Meta completed the acquisition of GIPHY on 15 May 2020 for $315 million.[1]

Meta acquired Giphy for a reported $315 million without notifying the British competition regulator in advance, which it was not required to do. The Competition and Markets Authority opened an inquiry after the fact and ultimately ordered the acquisition unwound.

Deal facts

Announced
Closed
Value
$315 million (equity value)
Buyer
Meta
Seller
—
Assets
GIPHY
Regulatory review
CMA Facebook, Inc (now Meta Platforms, Inc) / Giphy, Inc (Cleared with remedies, 18 October 2022)

Ownership changes recorded from this deal

OwnerOwnedRelationshipStakeFromTo
MetaGIPHYowns100%2020-05-152023-05-23

Who owns GIPHY today?

Regulatory review

United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority — Facebook, Inc (now Meta Platforms, Inc) / Giphy, Inc

Cleared with remedies · Phase 2

The Competition and Markets Authority ordered Meta to sell Giphy, a transaction that had already completed, after finding the acquisition harmed competition in display advertising and in the supply of animated images. Meta appealed, lost on the substance, and sold Giphy to Shutterstock for a small fraction of what it had paid. Unwinding a completed acquisition is rare.

  • divest business: GIPHY — Full divestiture of Giphy to an approved buyer. Meta sold it to Shutterstock in May 2023.

Sources (1) & corrections

Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.

  1. [1] Facebook, Inc (now Meta Platforms, Inc) / Giphy, Inc merger inquiry — Competition and Markets Authority, Regulator decision, published 30 November 2021; retrieved 8 September 2026.

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