[author: Daniel Frohling]
The more than 1,900 applications for Top-Level Domains (TLDs) submitted in the opening round of ICANN's (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) New Top-Level Program reveal a fascinating profile of the industries, companies, and constituents that foresee opportunity in this program (as well as those that have taken a pass) and what the market will look like, at least in its infancy. The extent to which just a few players dominate the TLD application pool, including high participation from companies that appear to be pursuing a gold rush strategy (like Donuts Inc. and Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd) and Internet-based giants (like Google and Amazon), as well as the notable absence or limited participation of other key technology brands (Apple and Microsoft, for example) paints an interesting picture for the potential future of the TLD marketplace. Of course, the full picture will come into focus slowly, as these applications -- including the nearly 40 percent of the applications vying for the same TLDs -- now begin to make their way through ICANN's valuation and approval process.
The following infographic provides a visual breakdown and analysis of the TLD applications revealed to date.
