A timeline of public AI data-licensing deals

Major AI developers have signed data-licensing deals worth tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, according to public reporting. This timeline lists the deals with links to sources.

Why this timeline exists

Claims about AI data demand should be checkable. Every entry below links to public reporting; figures are as reported and have not been independently verified by SourceX.

Reported deals

  • OpenAI and News Corp — reported at up to $250 million over five years (Wall Street Journal reporting, widely covered).
  • Meta and News Corp — reported at up to $50 million per year.
  • Google and Reddit — reported at roughly $60 million per year; Reddit disclosed $203 million in total data-licensing contracts in its IPO filing (SEC filing).
  • Amazon and The New York Times — reported at $20–25 million per year.
  • Shutterstock — disclosed $104 million in AI data-licensing revenue in 2023.

What this means for partners

Buyers pay for data with known origins and clear rights. Companies with 50+ full-time employees at peak often hold exactly that. Introduce one to SourceX; if a deal closes and SourceX collects its fee, you can earn 25% of that fee, up to $100,000 per company.

Refer a company · How rewards work

  1. Step 1Share your linkSend your personal link to a company you know.
  2. Step 2Company appliesThe company applies itself at /apply.
  3. Step 3Buyer selects and paysThe buyer selects and pays for the data and SourceX receives its fee.
  4. Step 4You get your rewardYour share of SourceX fees becomes payable.

Free resources

By SourceX Partnerships Team · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-08

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