Newsflare

Newsflare connects people who film videos with buyers looking to license footage for commercial and media uses. The company says its library contains over 350,000 videos, which buyers can use in advertising, social media, television, film, and other digital spaces. Buyers can also submit a brief specifying a subject, location, and deadline for Newsflare to commission footage from its network of filmers. Licenses are rights-managed and available up to 4K resolution; pricing depends on intended use, platform, quantity, and licensing period, with both one-off projects and monthly subscriptions mentioned. Prospective buyers can trial the video service or request a free demo, then contact the licensing team to set up a Buyer account and profile. Newsflare also licenses datasets for AI applications including generative and multimodal models, facial and object detection, and content moderation. Creators retain copyright when licensing videos and receive 50% of the license fee, paid through PayPal or Wise once their balance reaches £25. Copyright protection with creator consent is limited to Meta and YouTube.

Newsflare serves both footage buyers and contributors, with a large stated library, commissioned video, and AI dataset licensing. Buyers need to arrange account access with the licensing team, and terms depend on intended use.

It suits brands, agencies, TV producers, social creators, and AI companies seeking licensed footage or datasets. Filmmakers may also consider it for licensing video while retaining copyright.

Newsflare is a rights-managed marketplace for real-world video, connecting creators with organizations that need licensable footage. It is best for production, brand, media and AI teams with defined usage requirements, and for contributors seeking a route to commercial licensing. The trade-off is a managed buying process rather than instant, posted clip prices.

Overview

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in London, Newsflare brings together people who film videos and buyers such as brands, agencies, television producers and production companies. Its stated vault contains more than 350,000 videos, covering material for advertising, social media, TV, film and other digital uses.

The service combines an existing marketplace with commissioned work. A buyer can request a subject, location and deadline in a brief, allowing Newsflare to approach its network of filmers when the archive is not sufficient. That is useful for a specific assignment, but it also means the service is less convenient than a stock site built around immediate, fixed-price downloads.

Key features

Rights-managed footage

The Video licensing plan offers commercial, rights-managed licensing at resolutions up to 4K. Pricing is tailored to the intended use, platform, quantity and licensing period, with one-off projects and monthly subscriptions both mentioned. This model suits buyers who need terms matched to a campaign or production; it is less suitable for someone who wants to compare a simple universal clip price.

Briefs and commissioned video

Buyers can specify what should be filmed, where it should happen and when it is needed. Commissioning extends the marketplace beyond its current catalogue and can help with location- or event-specific requests, though it introduces a planning step rather than guaranteeing an immediate result.

AI datasets

Newsflare licenses bulk video datasets for generative and multimodal models, facial and object detection, and content moderation. Contributors can upload from a local device or Google Drive, Dropbox or Box. The program seeks at least five hours of steady footage at 1080p or higher, and the uploaded material must have been filmed by the contributor. Those requirements make it relevant to organizations collecting substantial, purpose-built training material, not occasional stock buyers.

Creator rights and protection

Creators retain ownership and copyright when they submit videos for licensing. With consent, Newsflare can use Meta and YouTube tools to find copies, block videos, file takedowns or claim revenue. Copyright Protection currently covers Facebook, Instagram and YouTube only, so it should not be treated as a universal monitoring service.

Payments and workflow

Creators receive 50% of the video licence fee, paid through PayPal or Wise. Balances are paid once they reach £25; smaller amounts accumulate until that threshold. Newsflare also provides instructions for sending feeds to Slack or Microsoft Teams, which can help teams route marketplace updates into existing channels. There is no API access for the Video licensing plan.

Pricing

Video licensing

Custom pricing (subscription buying model; free trial and demo offered). The final price depends on where, when and how long footage will be used, as well as platform, quantity and licensing period. This gives professional buyers room to negotiate rights for a particular project, but prevents straightforward budget comparison before speaking with the licensing team.

Buyers need a Newsflare Buyer account and must contact the licensing team to set up their profile. Prospective customers can trial the video service and request a free demo, making that conversation useful before committing to a subscription or one-off licensing arrangement.

Platforms

Newsflare is available on Android, iOS and the web. The Android app supports uploading footage for consideration by media outlets, news organizations and brands. Google Play says data is encrypted in transit and that the app may collect photos and videos, app activity and two other data types.

Who it's for

Newsflare is a strong fit for brands, agencies, social creators, TV and film teams that need authentic user-generated video with rights negotiated for a defined use. It also suits AI companies that can meet the five-hour, 1080p dataset requirement. Contributors benefit from retaining copyright and receiving half of the licence fee. Buyers seeking instant, no-contact downloads or creators expecting broad platform-wide copyright enforcement should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: More than 350,000 videos provide a substantial starting catalogue.
• Pros: Briefs can commission footage by subject, location and deadline when archive searches fall short.
• Pros: Commercial rights, up to 4K resolution and use-specific licensing support professional productions.
• Pros: AI licensing accepts bulk uploads from local storage and major cloud drives.
• Cons: Buyers must create an account and contact licensing staff before access is arranged.
• Cons: Custom pricing makes costs harder to compare than free or posted-price stock libraries.
• Cons: Copyright Protection is limited to Meta and YouTube.
• Cons: No API access is provided for the Video licensing plan.

Alternatives

For a broad directory of stock sources, see Stock Video Websites.

Pixabay is the better choice for free photo and video downloads, with an API and Android, iOS and web apps. Choose Pexels when free media plus a defined API allowance of 200 requests per hour and 20,000 per month is the priority. ProductionCrate suits users who want a free tier with five daily downloads or a $49-per-month Pro plan for full library access. Adobe Stock is preferable when a paid Adobe stock workflow and credit-based asset plans are a better match. CriticalPast is an alternative for registered users who need no-charge, full-resolution screeners for evaluation. Coverr offers free and paid AI-credit plans alongside 4K footage and WAV music on its Basic tier. Mixkit is suited to unlimited free downloads without attribution or sign-up. Dareful is another free option with unlimited downloads for personal and commercial projects.

Verdict

Choose Newsflare if you need authentic footage, commissioned shooting or AI datasets with licensing shaped around a real production or training requirement. Its large stated archive, custom briefs and creator-rights model are the main reasons to use it. Look elsewhere if you need transparent prices, self-serve downloads, an API or copyright monitoring beyond Meta and YouTube.