Weak Q3 for the domain universe, Verisign reports
The number of domain names registered worldwide decreased slightly in the third quarter, according to Verisign’s latest Domain Name Industry Brief.
The total of 362.3 million domains was down 0.1 million on the quarter. It would have been up had it not been for a 1.1 million decline in the combined .com and .net gTLDs, a pattern we’ve seen for the last several quarters.
.com was down to 156.7 million names from 157.6 million, while .net slipped below 13 million to 12.9 million, Verisign said.
Pre-2012 gTLD domains not including .com and .net were up 100,000 to 17.3 million and ccTLD registrations were up by the same amount to 140.1 million at the end of the quarter, the DNIB says.
New gTLD registrations were up 800,000 to 35.4 million, Verisign said.
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Not surprising.
Every time the registry makes fee increases each year, registrants reduce the number of domains they register or make increasingly difficult choices when it is time to renew – ooting to not renew a growing number of names to keep spend or budget neutral.
Then, like clockwork, there is subsequent news of softer growth.
It is an inconvenient truth that when registries raising fees self-erodes their zone growth.
Reduced renewal rates and fewer new registrations happen whem prices go up.