The gTLD Club
A blog about New gTLDs and dotBrands (.BRANDs) from the ICANN new gTLD program. You can subscribe to The gTLD Club's Newsletter.
Thursday, September 11, 2025
The new gTLD Directory is launching

Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Why a .META new gTLD makes sense
We asked Gemini (an AI) the question, and as expected, it lacks ideas and imagination.
The META new gTLD could be a .BRAND or a .COMMUNITY application but we, at Jovenet Consulting, think there is a strategic move to make for Mark Zuckerberg in 2026.
Strategy and numbers
Many .BRAND applicants want their domain name extension to protect their assets and sometimes do nothing with it, or create a few personalized domain names to introduce themselves a better way.
With more than 3 billion users*, Facebook Meta has an opportunity to create something that is terribly missing on Internet: domain names without spam (phishing, etc...). Many existing operators have been trying to secure domains and emails for decades with fantastic technical tools such as SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI...but let's be honest : things are doing better but we still receive spam and all sort of phishing emails of all kind. I personally find homographic attacks interesting ones.
Certified Email
If "meta" is a sign short enough to be acceptable at the end of an email, it is the Facebook platform that could become the next gMail with a new way to guarantee that all incoming emails are spam free.
If existing methods to block spam do not work entirely, operating the largest social media platform is an opportunity to start from scratch and do three things:
- Create a new email tool that blocks spam: the blockchain allows that. A new way to block spam is not only technical, it is about policy, technic and "rules to respect or you are kicked out". I personally don't need to send more than 5 emails per day.
- Keep users in your platform.
- Increase brand awareness: all emails end in ".meta".
* https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

Sunday, August 31, 2025
Numbers : the .AUTOS new gTLD
New domain name registration volumes
New gTLD reports are monthly domain name registration volumes' captures according to specific groups, businesses or industries.Check the latest report: https://www.gtld.report/car

Thursday, August 28, 2025
What I thing generic strings should offer in Round2
Registries offering generic strings (like ".club" or ".consulting" for example) can be difficult to launch because domain names are created leaving their user with the "what do I do now with my domain name?" question.
Most of the time, this question has been answered prior to buying but it means creating a website or an email and the answer to the question: "now I have to do it" remains.
"Now I have to do it"
Some platforms such as Linktree can be the answer to that question.
In the past, we've seen a Registry, the .TEL Registry, who offered its Registrants (the owners of the domain name) to set up some sort of Directory : the registered domain name was set up on specific DNS which lead to a platform the Registrant could set-up to point to links, phone numbers, ads...
The alternative to change DNS to preferred ones was possible but came second. This initiative then failed and .TEL domain names returned to be registered just like all others and benefiting from the Registrar's options.
I believe niche TLDs, who want to offer that little "something more", should return to creating their dedicated platform so their buyers don't have to end with the "Now I have to do it" question right after registering their new domain name.
Reminder: the .TEL registry was launched in...2007, the next Round of new gTLDs is launching in 2026. I am confident there's a lot more to invent for upcoming niche TLDs to be ready when the next Round begins. Idea here.
Want to offer something more than just domain names in 2026? Jovenet Consulting will build your innovative project.

Tuesday, August 5, 2025
What about ideas of new gTLD applications?
I know many don't want these to be displayed as examples but hey...this is a subject for the next Round of new gTLDs: what type of generic and community projects could be successful ones? To me, they rely on two things:
- Comparable numbers from the past 10 years of similar projects: www.gtld.report (numbers don't lie)
- How the potential buyers of these domain names are connected to the Internet? Is it part of their activity, or not.
- Canva just launched Canva Code: which use could they have of a .CANVA new gTLD?
- The .MALL new gTLD: how many malls exist worldwide?
- The .GARAGE new gTLD: how many garages exist worldwide?
- The .SEO new gTLD: how many SEO specialists exist worldwide?
- The .MARINA new gTLD: how many marinas are there worldwide?
- What would it cost to acquire the existing .CEO new gTLD Registry if it was for sale?
- How much does it cost to acquire an existing new gTLD Registry?
- How do you value a new gTLD Registry?
- What are the extra costs for reviews in the 2026 ICANN new gTLD application round?

Friday, July 18, 2025
Lessons from .CV: Making a gTLD Work Without a Registrar's Distribution Muscle
The typical route for growing a domain registry leans heavily on registrar distribution. But what happens when that channel isn’t enough - or isn’t working for your target audience?
.CV, originally the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Cape Verde, has undergone a quiet transformation. It now operates more like a generic top-level domain (gTLD) — repositioned and reimagined for global individual use, specifically for resumes and personal branding.
We’ve learned some tough but valuable lessons: registrars don’t always drive demand for niche-use gTLDs. Despite signing on with more than 20 registrars, .CV saw minimal movement in its audiences - curriculum vitae, cryptoverse. The product needed more than shelf space — it needed a purpose and direct distribution.
So we turned the model on its head: instead of waiting for users to find .CV through traditional channels, we built our own demand-side path. A product called Hello.CV now offers users theirname.cv — a complete, AI-powered resume site — bypassing the need to shop through registrars at all. Users sign up for a personal domain, generate a profile site, and link it to job applications or social bios in minutes. Think of it as Linktree meets LinkedIn, but with your own domain.
In doing so, we’re not just registering domains — we’re solving a problem. And that, more than anything, is what many new gTLD applicants should think about heading into Round 2: what job does your domain do? Who is it built for? And can you reach them directly?
We’re not anti-registrar — we’re just realistic. For gTLDs with a specific or emerging use case, assuming registrars will do the heavy lifting is optimistic at best. Building demand-side products, integrating into real-world workflows (like job applications), and going direct to users might be the only way to win in a cluttered namespace future.
.CV is a test case. It’s a ccTLD behaving like a gTLD, built to serve people — not just protect brands. The early signs are promising. We’ll keep sharing what we learn.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
The gTLD Directory
A Directory for Applicants and Service Providers
With the next Round of the ICANN new gTLD program to launch in 2026, new gTLD applicants search for new gTLD Providers and Providers search for clients : one wants to discover that there is more than his Registrar to ask questions to and the other wants to acquire more visibility.The gTLD Directory is Free
The Directory is free to register to and there is no need to be friend of a friend to be listed. I list all new gTLD providers wanting to register. I yet have not found a way to acquire even more visibility for subscribers but I will offer a way to advertise when I return in September. It is quite possible that I offer the first three positions on top of the list or...banners.
How it works
- Go to https://www.gtld.directory/
- Scroll down to "Submit Your Information:"
- Fill-in the four empty fields and tick the services your offer
- Click on "Submit"

Monday, July 7, 2025
More new gTLD questions asked to the AI
- 2026 new gTLD applications: what is the name collision risk mitigation?
- New gTLD applications: what are the PICS?
- New gTLDs: when creating a new Registry, do you need sales roles?
- Whose role is it to prospect, at a new gTLD Registry, to generate interest in Premium domain names?
- What is the Escrow fee when submitted a new gTLD application to the ICANN?
- Can you submit a new gTLD project to Google Registry?
- Can you submit a new gTLD project to Amazon Registry?
- What is the IBDNS?
- What are IDNs generic Top-level domains?
- Why new gTLD registry providers don't publish their offer(s) yet?
- On LinkedIn, there is a group named "New gTLDs & .BRANDs" : what is it about?
- New gTLDs: what about the FBI screening when submitting an application to the ICANN?
- New gTLDs: why go to ICANN 83 in Prague?
- Do I buy my new domain name extension at the ICANN?
- What is a dotBrand new gTLD?
