.tv Revised FAQ from Demand Media

[qdaly]

Hi Everyone,

I have taken the FAQ I posted in the Updates & Clarifications thread, updated it with a few more Q&As specifically in the renewal section and have pasted it below. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

On the tools front, we are planning our 1.1 release in the next 7-10 days with some significant upgrades. I will share the list of features with this group when it is final. We really appreciate your feedback on the me.tv forum and in this forum. Keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks, Quinn

Pricing
How is the pricing determined?
The cost of each premium name is decided by the .TV Registry. As the Exclusive retailer for .TV Premium Names, Demand Media has aggressively set pricing to help drive adoption of the .TV brand,

Why are certain .TV domains considered premium?
The original .TV Registry, The .TV Corporation, selected a limited number of generic names and assigned variable prices based on various factors. As a result, this has kept a steady stream of high quality domains available for Businesses and the general public.

Renewal
Will the renewal rate ever go up?
Annual Renewal fees for .TV premium names will be the same as the initial "Buy Now" registration price. Demand Media is required by law to also inform its customers that renewal prices are “subject to change.” This is because, as a retailer, Demand Media doesn’t determine or control the cost of names.

Is Verisign reserving the right to change a registrant's renewal price sometime in the future, post registration?
Verisign will honor the original contract that the registrant entered into. The terms they register their premium .TV under will be constant for as long as they hold that name.

If I purchased a domain name before May 1st, can I renew at the price I bought the name for?
Yes, renewals will be available shortly and will be the same fee as the initial domain registration.

If I purchased a domain name after May1st, can I go back and add additional years?
Yes, this capability will be available shortly and the fee for the additional years will be the same as the initial domain registration.

I heard that the renewal rate was only 10-15% of the buy it now price, is that true?
This is incorrect. The renewal fees for .TV premium names are the same as the registration price. Demand Media is required by law to also inform its customers that renewal prices are “subject to change.” This is because, as a retailer, Demand Media doesn’t determine or control the cost of names.

Is it just a yearly renewal? Can I get a discount by agreeing to a longer term contract?
When purchasing a .TV domain name, customers are given the option upfront of securing one, two, three, four five and ten-year registrations. Presently, we do not offer multi-year renewals.

Will larger up-front payments reduce yearly renewal?
Presently, we do not offer larger up-front payments to reduce yearly renewals.

Resell
What is the process for deciding which name is a premium? How do I know that my premium name won’t be de-listed?
The list of Premium domains is determined by the .TV Registry. Our role is simply as the Exclusive retailer for the .TV Premium names.

 

[TheBulldog]

Thanks Q.

Pricing seems to be explained pretty well, but I imagine people will interpret things their own way.

On the other hand, I am looking forward to whatever tools you may deploy because if it makes my life easier, that would save me a lot of time.

 

[meeks]

Thanks Quinn,

 

[equity78]

Renewal
Will the renewal rate ever go up?
Annual Renewal fees for .TV premium names will be the same as the initial "Buy Now" registration price. Demand Media is required by law to also inform its customers that renewal prices are “subject to change.” This is because, as a retailer, Demand Media doesn’t determine or control the cost of names.




Is Verisign reserving the right to change a registrant's renewal price sometime in the future, post registration?
Verisign will honor the original contract that the registrant entered into. The terms they register their premium .TV under will be constant for as long as they hold that name.

Quinn which is it ? They will honor or pricing subject to change?



Secondly you marked up a lot of domains that were never premium
NNNN and NNNNN and hyphen domains were never premium under VERISIGN this whole $100 category DEMAND MEDIA made up not Verisign. Cumbubbles.tv was not $100 under Verisign. WHO came up with these because it was not Verisign ? I mean some of these domains at $100 are ridiculous to anyone over the age of 6 10bezo.tv? att-ma.tv ????????

 

[DomainBuyerBroker]

Thanks for the update and clarification Quinn.

 

[Broker]

Hi Everyone,

I have taken the FAQ I posted in the Updates & Clarifications thread, updated it with a few more Q&As specifically in the renewal section and have pasted it below. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

On the tools front, we are planning our 1.1 release in the next 7-10 days with some significant upgrades. I will share the list of features with this group when it is final. We really appreciate your feedback on the me.tv forum and in this forum. Keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks, Quinn

Pricing
How is the pricing determined?
The cost of each premium name is decided by the .TV Registry. As the Exclusive retailer for .TV Premium Names, Demand Media has aggressively set pricing to help drive adoption of the .TV brand,



Renewal
Will the renewal rate ever go up?
Annual Renewal fees for .TV premium names will be the same as the initial "Buy Now" registration price. Demand Media is required by law to also inform its customers that renewal prices are “subject to change.” This is because, as a retailer, Demand Media doesn’t determine or control the cost of names.

Is it me or is this just totally contradicting itself?

 

[*AllThings.tv*]

First, let me thank Quinn and Demand Media for clarifying this. It is a rare treat to have a guest such as her from the corporation on the forum to answer our questions and address our concerns.

Second, I GET that the 'subject to change' language is necessary for legal reasons. The attorneys for Demand Media insist on it because Demand Media technically does not control pricing of the .tv names. While Verisign has stated to Demand Media that it has no intent to change prices, that does not make the attorneys from Demand Media any more comfortable. It takes full control for the attorneys to be happy.

Your next questions will be, then why doesn't Verisign publicly address this issue if they are willing to assure Demand Media that prices will not change. If I am correct, it takes time to navigate through the proper channels at Verisign to get a company that size to make an announcement on issue that only affects a small percentage of the company's overall business.

Is it me or is this just totally contradicting itself?

Perhaps she meant to say that Demand Media is not in control of .tv pricing, that Verisign presented Demand Media with the premium pricing that you see now (which could be greater or less than it was before), and Demand Media did not mark up those domains any further than the Verisign prices.

PS: if anyone is worried about this language, PM me and I will refund your purchase price if I like your name.

Keep focused: Develop! Develop! Develop!

I have spoken to Demand Media representatives and various attorneys and I for one am not concerned about this issue, but I understand why many of you would be. I know that you will have the issues resolved to your satisfaction if you exercise some patience and give it some time.

 

[Dr. Mindwrecker]

Thankyou Quinn!


Everybody Relax and Develop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quinn which is it ? They will honor or pricing subject to change?



Secondly you marked up a lot of domains that were never premium
NNNN and NNNNN and hyphen domains were never premium under VERISIGN this whole $100 category DEMAND MEDIA made up not Verisign. Cumbubbles.tv was not $100 under Verisign. WHO came up with these because it was not Verisign ? I mean some of these domains at $100 are ridiculous to anyone over the age of 6 10bezo.tv? att-ma.tv ????????

I bet Demand Media probably made a list of a bunch of names, sent it to Versign, Verisign reviewed the list and pulled a potential list of names in order to add more to the premium list. I bet some of those will be taken of the list later this year. They probably were trying to create the longest list possible.
Not sure if agree with this, as hyphenated names as being worth more than $25 is questionable.

Do you think cumbubbles.TV is worth $100?
What about buttfetish.tv?

For all we know, these could be the sleepers in the lot, and could be screaming for development!

 

[eyedomainous]

Quinn which is it ? They will honor or pricing subject to change?

Secondly you marked up a lot of domains that were never premium
NNNN and NNNNN and hyphen domains were never premium under VERISIGN this whole $100 category DEMAND MEDIA made up not Verisign. Cumbubbles.tv was not $100 under Verisign. WHO came up with these because it was not Verisign ? I mean some of these domains at $100 are ridiculous to anyone over the age of 6 10bezo.tv? att-ma.tv ????????

The way I read it is... they / Demand Media will honor the price unless Verisign changes the wholsale price.

The rationale behind the pricing on the domains you pointed out would be very interesting to hear. It appears they used a computer appraisal matrix and did not set the price 'by hand' / per name. The computer may have added value on keywords... like "att" and "ma", or "cum" and "bubbles".

 

[MrRhee]

Thank you Quinn...

I do feel more comfortable with most of your FAQ... and beginning to move forward with development... a few key questions remain... and I believe these are valid questions that need just a bit more clarification...

starting with his part:

(emphasis added by myself)

Is Verisign reserving the right to change a registrant's renewal price sometime in the future, post registration?

Verisign will honor the original contract that the registrant entered into. The terms they register their premium .TV under will be constant for as long as they hold that name.

So... are you saying that we are guaranteed that our renewal price will be the same as our registration price? If so, great news. If not, does this section only mean that you are honoring the "terms" & "contract", but still not ensuring that the "price" will remain the same?

It is a bit confusing, and appears at first to me as "doublespeak"... please keep in mind, I am not looking for conspiracy theories... I am a heavy investor & developer in .TV and I support the TLD. By stating that you will HONOR the "terms"... is the "pricing" covered in the "TERMS"/"Original Contract" or does ENOM/DEMAND/VRSN consider "pricing" as something else altogether that isn't covered in the "terms"?


Now on to the next important question? If I buy a domain from someone in the aftermarket, do I lose the assurances that the renewal will remain the same or does it now subject the domain to a price increase once the domain is transferred to a new owner? I only ask because the FAQ references the "registrant" and "owner" but not sure if transferring ownership triggers a price increase? or breaks original contract terms?

Thanks in advance.

.

 

[Argos]

....Renewal
Will the renewal rate ever go up?
Annual Renewal fees for .TV premium names will be the same as the initial "Buy Now" registration price. Demand Media is required by law to also inform its customers that renewal prices are “subject to change.” This is because, as a retailer, Demand Media doesn’t determine or control the cost of names.....

I would advise you to add little comment as above on your .tv registration page, your note just states the famous worrying sentence "Renewal prices are subject to change." ... I don't think that your customers are 'restricted' to the (well informed) members of the NP .tv forum..... just my 2cents....

 

[TheBulldog]

Sorry, can I just ask why "Renewel Prices Subject to Change" is so offensive?

All prices on EVERY commodity is subject to change. Your taxes on your house, that get renewed every year, aren't required to stay the same. Rental fees for online video's aren't always the same.
My BMW this year is more expensive then the one last year. Do you think I said to the salesaman, "NO FAIR, NO FAIR"??

A hotel room from night to night can change prices. Dog licensing changes costs. You know when people bitch? If the price doubles. Now is that likely that Demand/Enom is going to double the cost? No, they can't get rid of the ones that they do have at high rates, so double rates on existing customers wouldn't help them either.

"Hey Buddy, I know you already paid for that cheeseburger but we are running a two for one and forgot to tell you. Pay is again."

And they have already stated that the cost MIGHT go up 10-15%. So what is the big deal? Factor in your cost this year and next year plus 20% and you should be fine.

All that being said: I think the premium pricing is stupid. If they just did reg fee on all of them, it would kick start this market a hell of a lot faster then waiting for someone to come along and buy booger69.tv for $750.

 

[think]

Thank you for the update Quinn. I consider the updates very encouraging and if I'm reading it right the spirit of the agreement is to keep renewal costs the same for the owner and although prices could go up no should expect the price of their renewal to double or triple once they have got it developed and created a steady flow of customers coming to the site.

My concern has been that 3 years down the road if my traffic is up 400% and I have created hundreds of links and promoted my site hard but Demand Media comes back and says that the traffic is due to their branding efforts that they may use this to justify large increases in my renewal. This is the type of "grey area" that concerns me.

From this last post I think the "spirit" of the contract sounds solid and I hope one wouldn't have to worry about the above scenario. The concerns of long term renewal still haunt me though as I consider what would happen if the TLD is sold or another firm hired to promote it and they do not have the same spirit that the current group has?

I'm still not encouraged enough to go too far out on a limb but it is encouraging enough to concentrate harder on my development efforts. I hope Enom or Demand Media will keep the possibility of long term renewals open as I believe it would be beneficial to their Premium sales and certainly would help remove the last shadows of doubt many of us have.

Thanks Quinn. I appreciate your help and presence here.

 

[DomainAgency.com]

To me this clarifies things. The bottom Line: "The price is subject to change" is a legal disclaimer and standard TOS that goes across all different domain extensions. As far as I know ICANN can increase process on TLD's by a certain % over time. This is no different then .TV except on a bigger scale as far as the premiums go.

Let's face it if it wasn't for premium prices non of us would be able to get close to most of these names at this date and time, especially with the explosion of online content and the future of the internet and TV merging into one. I personally think many of the premiums bought for $500-$1000 were a steal and will prove to be over time if the .TV extension is only 40% as successful as it could be.

Demand Media and The .TV Corp are far from stupid. Has the launch been seamless ? NO, but they are not out to screw customers paying premium prices by raising fees. This will not happen. If you are paranoid then lock your name down for 10 years at the price you paid and start development. I called Demand Media yesterday and they were fine with me renewing the premiums I bought after May 1 for as many as 10 years if i wanted. This is a non issue. Either buy a premium or don't but if you believe in the name, the extension, and your development plan. Then do it, otherwise don't, but to use the fear of them raising prices when you can lock the name down for 10 years is now ridiculous IMO.

This is just standard terms of service stuff. Quinn has answered these concerns IMO.

Issue done, you are never going get a company to waive standard Terms of Service. Will .TV premium names ever go up 10 to 15 % in 10 years maybe, but could your names have gone up several 100% in value by then YES. Either jump on board the boat or don't but the boat is sailing away. I've already flipped a few premiums for a few K profit in less then 2 years time.

 

[think]

To me this clarifies things. The bottom Line: "The price is subject to change" is a legal disclaimer and standard TOS that goes across all different domain extensions. As far as I know ICANN can increase process on TLD's by a certain % over time. This is no different then .TV except on a bigger scale as far as the premiums go.

Let's face it if it wasn't for premium prices non of us would be able to get close to most of these names at this date and time, especially with the explosion of online content and the future of the internet and TV merging into one. I personally think many of the premiums bought for $500-$1000 were a steal and will prove to be over time if the .TV extension is only 40% as successful as it could be.

Demand Media and The .TV Corp are far from stupid. Has the launch been seamless ? NO, but they are not out to screw customers paying premium prices by raising fees. This will not happen. If you are paranoid then lock your name down for 10 years at the price you paid and start development. I called Demand Media yesterday and they were fine with me renewing the premiums I bought after May 1 for as many as 10 years if i wanted. This is a non issue. Either buy a premium or don't but if you believe in the name, the extension, and your development plan. Then do it, otherwise don't, but to use the fear of them raising prices when you can lock the name down for 10 years is now ridiculous IMO.

This is just standard terms of service stuff. Quinn has answered these concerns IMO.

Issue done, you are never going get a company to waive standard Terms of Service. Will .TV premium names ever go up 10 to 15 % in 10 years maybe, but could your names have gone up several 100% in value by then YES. Either jump on board the boat or don't but the boat is sailing away. I've already flipped a few premiums for a few K profit in less then 2 years time.

Thank you for the post. I wish I was getting the same response you are.

Who did you call that said you could renew your name 10 years out? I look above and it says multi year renewals not allowed.:

From Quinn's post above:

"Is it just a yearly renewal? Can I get a discount by agreeing to a longer term contract?
When purchasing a .TV domain name, customers are given the option upfront of securing one, two, three, four five and ten-year registrations. Presently, we do not offer multi-year renewals."


I try to renew in my account and it says to call customer support. I call customer support and they say I can't renew my premium name until next year. I asked twice and they put me on hold and double checked. They confirmed again that I could not renew my premium names until next year and for only one year at a time.

If you could get me a number of someone to contact I'd like to renew some of my domains.

I hope things are going well

C.T. Kirkpatrick

 

[DomainAgency.com]

C.T.

I will PM you

 

[MrRhee]

When I called in, I was also told that I can't renew my premiums. so still lots of miscommunication and/or misdirection going on. please pm me too

 

[think]

To me this clarifies things. The bottom Line: "The price is subject to change" is a legal disclaimer and standard TOS that goes across all different domain extensions. As far as I know ICANN can increase process on TLD's by a certain % over time. This is no different then .TV except on a bigger scale as far as the premiums go.

Let's face it if it wasn't for premium prices non of us would be able to get close to most of these names at this date and time, especially with the explosion of online content and the future of the internet and TV merging into one. I personally think many of the premiums bought for $500-$1000 were a steal and will prove to be over time if the .TV extension is only 40% as successful as it could be.

Demand Media and The .TV Corp are far from stupid. Has the launch been seamless ? NO, but they are not out to screw customers paying premium prices by raising fees. This will not happen. If you are paranoid then lock your name down for 10 years at the price you paid and start development. I called Demand Media yesterday and they were fine with me renewing the premiums I bought after May 1 for as many as 10 years if i wanted. This is a non issue. Either buy a premium or don't but if you believe in the name, the extension, and your development plan. Then do it, otherwise don't, but to use the fear of them raising prices when you can lock the name down for 10 years is now ridiculous IMO.

This is just standard terms of service stuff. Quinn has answered these concerns IMO.

Issue done, you are never going get a company to waive standard Terms of Service. Will .TV premium names ever go up 10 to 15 % in 10 years maybe, but could your names have gone up several 100% in value by then YES. Either jump on board the boat or don't but the boat is sailing away. I've already flipped a few premiums for a few K profit in less then 2 years time.

Thank you again for your post! I can confirm that I am able to renew my premium domains for up to 10 years. This is very positive news and I consider my concerns replied to and answered satisfactorily.

Best wishes to all and again thank you Quinn for your presence here.
Sincerely,

C.T. Kirkpatrick