.tv What happens to .tv after 2012?

[scandiman]

Perhaps this has been discussed before but I didn't see a recent thread on it.

I was reading the wikipedia page about .tv (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.tv) and it says that the agreement between VeriSign and the govt of the island nation of Tuvalu ends in 2012. Is this accurate and if so is there any info on renewed registry agreements for .tv? If VeriSign doesn't get a new agreement, does the Tuvalu govt have to honor current registrants claims to names? Concrete details on this would be useful for speculators to know.

 

[equity78]

Contract runs til 2016 Wikipedia incorrect like it is on many topics.

n 2001, we entered into an amended contractual agreement with the Government of Tuvalu to be the sole registry operator for .tv domain names through December 31, 2016. Pursuant to the terms of this agreement, in 2009 and in 2008, we paid the Tuvalu government a total of $2.0 million annually in registry fees.

Source: Verisign Annual Report 2/26/2010 page 61

 

[Keith]

IMO .tv is here to stay for a long long time! This extension is gaining steam outside of the domainer community, despite what some folks here at NP say!

 

[domainacrobat]

The world ends after 2012, thats what!

 

[twomoon]

The world ends after 2012, thats what!

Maya guys knew that the end of the agreement between Verisign and Tuvalu would be the end of the world

 

[tech4]

I did not know that dot .tv stands for Government of Tuvala !!!

Tuvala ????

GE E Z

 

[DU]

I did not know that dot .tv stands for Government of Tuvala !!!

Tuvala ????

GE E Z

It doesn't. It stands for Television.

The island renamed itself to benefit from the association. Another instance where wikipedia got it wrong.

As an aside, in 2015 I'm going to vacation at a little known man-made island off somewhere near the U.A.E. It is in the process of naming itself Webistania. They are behind the highly brandable ".WEB".

As for what happens in 2016?

We'll all be holding less valuable domains as we realize that we missed the 3d window of opportunity... and TV -I mean the island of TV- will be underwater.. and, per the rules, the ccTLD will die a quick death like that one from the USSR and Yugoslavia.

 

[*AllThings.tv*]

TV is really the island of opportunity. :D

 

[scandiman]

Contract runs til 2016 Wikipedia incorrect like it is on many topics.

n 2001, we entered into an amended contractual agreement with the Government of Tuvalu to be the sole registry operator for .tv domain names through December 31, 2016. Pursuant to the terms of this agreement, in 2009 and in 2008, we paid the Tuvalu government a total of $2.0 million annually in registry fees.

Source: Verisign Annual Report 2/26/2010 page 61

Thanks for the detailed clarification, so I'll now rephrase: What happens to .tv after 2016? Seems the same issues I'm wondering about in the OP still remain with the date changed.

---------- Post added at 02:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:41 PM ----------

IMO .tv is here to stay for a long long time! This extension is gaining steam outside of the domainer community, despite what some folks here at NP say!

I'm not questioning it's future existence, just who will be in charge (after 2016), how the rules may change, and what impact it could have on choosing to build a commercial website using this extension.

I'm not in Tuvalu, never have been there and don't plan on ever going there. The thought of that govt ultimately being in control of the core domain/brand asset of a business is a little uncomfortable to say the least.

 

[Keith]

Seems as though the ultimate goal when running a biz would be to make money. I'm not sure I understand why gov control makes a difference on this one? Either they control a quality product worth investing in or they don't.

Thanks for the detailed clarification, so I'll now rephrase: What happens to .tv after 2016? Seems the same issues I'm wondering about in the OP still remain with the date changed.

---------- Post added at 02:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:41 PM ----------



I'm not questioning it's future existence, just who will be in charge (after 2016), how the rules may change, and what impact it could have on choosing to build a commercial website using this extension.

I'm not in Tuvalu, never have been there and don't plan on ever going there. The thought of that govt ultimately being in control of the core domain/brand asset of a business is a little uncomfortable to say the least.

 

[scandiman]

Seems as though the ultimate goal when running a biz would be to make money. I'm not sure I understand why gov control makes a difference on this one? Either they control a quality product worth investing in or they don't.

Several scenarios come to mind, they could decide to regulate content found on .tv websites (adult, profanity, religious and/or political content perhaps), they could seriously raise reg fees, perhaps they decide to require registrants to have a physical presence in their country like many CCtlds do, perhaps they could even seize domains, I simply don't know. (if you think seizure is impossible please read this http://www.domainnamenews.com/cctlds/libyan-government-seizes-url-shorteners-domain/8216) In spite of all the branding, at the end of the day .tv is a CCtld ultimately governed by the country it represents, Tuvalu. While their current contract with VeriSign may regulate what can or cannot be done, come 2016 that may or may not all change which is what I'm trying to find out.

 

[equity78]

You are trying to find out if someone can guarantee you what will happen Jan 1,2017 ? The answer is no one knows, anyone saying they do know is a liar. So there is the answer, NO one knows what will happen Jan 1,2017. Verisign is not discussing it and Tuvalu is not discussing it.

 

[scandiman]

You are trying to find out if someone can guarantee you what will happen Jan 1,2017 ? The answer is no one knows, anyone saying they do know is a liar. So there is the answer, NO one knows what will happen Jan 1,2017. Verisign is not discussing it and Tuvalu is not discussing it.

Thanks for the candid answer. We'll have to consider the worst case scenario in the business plan.

 

[equity78]

Get the TV.com too if you can, so if .tv changes unfavorably you have a back up plan.

 

[ThreeD]

I don't know how wise it would be to "kill" the .tv extension with requirements like local presence or regulating content.

The contract the Tuvalu gov has with Verisign is a much welcomed income and it's that very same income that keeps the Tuvalu communities up and running.

I doubt the local people have the knowledge to run a big extension like .TV themselves, hence either Verisign will continue to run the show or another corporation will take over.

I've also been thinking about this scenario: What if .TV continues to grow into one of the leading mainstream TLD's and finally gets converted into a gTLD. I don't see why it shouldn't be possible to just reassign a new extension to Tuvalu, let say .TU, TA or .TL (unless the extensions are taken by other countries ofcourse) and let .TV blossom into what it's supposed to be - a TLD for online television

 

[equity78]

Three D, Tuvalu would never give up its rights to .tv. No Gtld is allowed to be 2 letters.

Verisign would renew IMO and Tuvalu could open the contract up to other participants. Microsoft showed up first time when the original DOT TV company got the bid.

Maybe Tucows or Godaddy or some other company that knows how to run a registry would get in the bidding for the extension.

2017 there could be 5000 new extensions by then.

 

[ThreeD]

I think they should change the rules for gTLD's because .TV is far better than some of the other gTLD's out there

No matter how many extensions there will be 3-4-5 years from now, .TV is all about video content and video content is going to continue it's proportional rate of growth. It's only going to get bigger and better and I believe some of the big corps will step up to the plate in time.

I also think Tuvalu can't afford to close down the extension and keep the domains to themselves, not when the Tuvalu government knows where .TV is heading today and what future investments can hold.

 

[DnEbook]

well here is a legal point of view ........i just regged a name for ten years, so would that mean if i develop and the rules change i can sue ?

this is where the greed of registras becomes a murky area , if they cannot guarantee my reg they perhaps should not take my money ?

 

[jwdomain]

With the dot tv ccTLD gaining so much traction so fast, Verisign.TV / Watch.TV are make an absolute killing on reg fees. Verisign will never let this cash cow be touched nevermind let it die. I see .TV transitioning into a gTLD sometime in the future with Verisign at the helm.

 

[*AllThings.tv*]

Isn't whether your years are honored (assuming Verisign's contract expires) an issue between ICANN and the Tuvalu government?

---------- Post added at 04:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:23 PM ----------

Did anybody notice this thread's tag? 'what happened to .mobi'