Since 2009, Demotix has been gathering and distributing news-based photography fed by a network of 10,000 stringers, local freelance photographers and citizen journalists. Last month, it announced a deal with Press Association Images, which now distributes Demotix' images to UK and Ireland-based clients.

Now, Corbis has signed a "worldwide distribution agreement" with Demotix, which will see Corbis Images offering "an edited selection of breaking news photography from Demotix."

Speaking to BJP, Turi Munthe, CEO of Demotix, says that "Corbis is the global partner we wanted and need, and for both parties, this is a long-term commitment to our combined business models."

He adds: "Their 200-odd salespeople massively augment our offering from a sales perspective, which we can really concentrate on developing new products for our contributors and our clients, and building Demotix into the future of news."

However, not all of Demotix' images will be distributed via Corbis, says Munthe. "They will be making an edited selection of the daily best. The rest will continue to be available via Demotix and our other channels."

In a statement, Anil Ramchand, director of news, sports and entertainment, comments: "Our new partnership with Demotix complements our breaking news offering with photography of news events that happen off the beaten path. As some providers of news photography cut back on their geographic coverage, Corbis will now have faster access to quality photojournalism from a community of thousands of local photographers around the world, increasingly making Corbis a destination for news media looking for exceptional breaking news images."

A selection of images sourced from Demotix will start to appear on the Corbis Images website at the end of March.