The new Internet naming convention, where websites can end in almost any characters rather than the old style .com, .net and .org, has been seen by many as a playground for fresh thinking and innovation on the Internet.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which regulates Internet names, cites the capacity for innovation as one of the reasons that has led to the expansion in the namespace, known as the new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) program. ICANN long ago made sure that Registries (who own the names) can only sell to Registrants (who buy the names) through accredited intermediaries known as Registrars, these are companies such as GoDaddy and 1and1 that you may have seen advertising recently on TV.
Over recent months, the Domain Name Industry has seen a variety of weird and wacky go-to-market strategies. There have been registries proposing a variety of pricing mechanisms ranging from $10 to $50,000 for a single web address. Other registries have opted for a hyperbolic price increase model over time jumping to tens of thousands of dollars per domain name in only a few years.
Some gTLD applicants have spent a huge amount of time, effort and resources building their own back-end registry systems while others have been spending similar efforts in a bid to try to bypass the registrar channel so that they can benefit from undiluted revenues.
While Famous Four Media is highly supportive of innovation in the domain name world, it believes that there is a time and a place for everything. At such a critical juncture of the Internet, Famous Four Media is convinced that now is the time for ‘evolution’ and not ‘revolution’ in this industry.
So, while others have been drawing up plans to take over the domain name world with ‘killer’ business paradigms and radical pricing mechanisms, Famous Four Media has quietly gone about its business and secured what it believes to be the most extensive Registrar distribution network in the new gTLD industry, in time for the 31 March 2014 Sunrise launch of its first three gTLDs .BID, .TRADE and .WEBCAM.
“We are delighted to be bringing our new gTLD registries to market through such an incredible and well established distribution network,” said Geir Rasmussen CEO, Famous Four Media. “The fact that we have 82 Registry Registrar Agreements signed in time for the launch of our first gTLDs is not only testament to the hard work, expertise and dedication of our staff but also to the desire of ICANN accredited Registrars to work in partnership with us to bring great domain names to market”.
The 82 signed agreements will allow nearly 450 ICANN accredited registrars to market all of Famous Four Media’s 59 Top Level Domains globally as well as tens of thousands of resellers that work hand- in-hand with the Famous Four Media registrar network. This means that if you want to set your website apart with a descriptive web address, such as www.mycool.webcam or www.lowprice.bid or even www.londontax.accountant, you will be able to get one from almost any registrar anywhere in the world.
Contact
Andy Churley, Chief Marketing Officer
media AT famousfourmedia.com
About Famous Four Media
Famous Four Media Limited was set up in 2011 by a small group of recognized domain name experts and successful financiers to actively provide products and services to TLD Registry operators under ICANN’s new generic Top Level Domains (“gTLD”) program. Drawing on the best from both Registries and Registrars, Famous Four Media’s management team has extensive experience in the domain name industry having successfully launched, operated, marketed and run generic TLDs under previous rounds and having managed some of the largest corporate and retail domain name registrars in the world. The 59 gTLD applications, that are currently under Famous Four Media Limited management, include some of the most interesting and valuable domain suffixes, such as .ACCOUNTANT, .BID, .DATE, .DOWNLOAD, .FAITH, .LOAN, .MEN,. REVIEW, .SCIENCE, .TRADE, .WEBCAM and .WIN.