New .fans Domain Extension Launches September 2nd, Creates Gold Standard Destination for Fan Content Online

LONDON, September 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

.fans domain names have been registered by hundreds of brands including NFL (National Football League), NHL (National Hockey League), MLB (Major League Baseball), Manchester United, FC Barcelona, FIFA, WWE, Audi, BMW, Apple, Google, Xbox, Twentieth Century Fox, Beyoncé, Facebook and Twitter. These brands and many more registered domain names ending with .fans during the trademark-only registration period preceding the full launch of .fans domains on September 2nd.

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• .fans is a new domain name extension launching as part of the ICANN new gTLD program
• New gTLDs like .fans offer an alternative to .com, .co.uk and other legacy domain name extensions
• The new .fans domain extension offers an intuitive and resonant signpost for fans looking for content online, and brands wishing to engage their fan base

dotFans, the domain name registry which controls the new .fans domain name extension is pleased to announce the conclusion of a very successful trademark priority registration period ("sunrise") which resulted in hundreds of applications from a list of globally recognised brands. General availability of public registration commences on September 2nd meaning brands and fans can register their own .fans domain names.

"We are blown away by the response we've had in the first 60 days of our launch. Many of the world's leading brands have recognised the value of securing a .fans domain name. From giants of the sporting world - major soccer teams, sports franchises and governing bodies - through to musicians, film studios, luxury goods, sportswear and automotive brands, our sunrise applications demonstrate the universal appeal of the .fans domain amongst fan-fuelled brands," says Sam Taylor, Director of Global Marketing for dotFans.

One of the new generation of internet addresses, domain names ending in .fans are set to become an essential destination for consumer, music, sports and entertainment brands to help signpost quality content for fans online.

Research conducted by LightSpeed GMI on behalf of dotFans shows that when searching for content about the things they love, 30% of fans say they would be more likely to visit a web address ending with .fans over one ending with .com - a preference which will only increase further as .fans domains begin to be used more widely in coming months.

Ben Crawford, CEO of CentralNic Group plc (CNIC:LN) comments: "We are delighted to be the key technical partner enabling dotFans to launch what we believe will be one of the most exciting TLDs in the market to date. This strong start - with some of the world's leading sports, consumer and entertainment brands rapidly coming on board - signals the value these clients are assigning to the .fans extension. Through years of experience in the domain name industry, we at CentralNic understand the value and potential of TLDs such as .fans and are excited by the potential we see for this extension."

Sam Taylor continued "Everyone is a fan of something - whether you're a football fan, music fan, a fan of extreme sports, food, or knitting, fandom is universal. Wherever you go in the world, being a fan is something that brings people together and something that is a core part of people's identity. Fandom is a huge part of online experience - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - for all of these huge platforms fandom drives a huge part of their appeal to users, and many people spend hours online consuming content about the things they love. We know that .fans domain names are a brilliant way to better signpost this content to engage with fans, and a great way to capture attention of true fans."

About .fans domain names  

.fans is one of the breed of new "Generic Top Level Domains" ("new gTLDs") or "domain extensions" which have been made available for registration since 2014. Other Top Level Domains which have launched include .movie, .london, and .xyz (recently adopted by Google who now use www.abc.xyz for their new Alphabet company).

The .fans domain extension is operated by dotFans which was awarded the rights to operate the Registry in 2014.

.fans domain names can be used by any brand or individual to signpost "fan-facing content" - i.e. content online aimed at audiences of fans or enthusiasts.

For more information contact:

Sam Taylor [email protected], +44-203-637-2165

http://www.dotfans.com 

SOURCE dotFans Registry