BRS Registry Brings Nearly 30 Years of TLD Operating Experience to New gTLD Applicants Following ICANN Reveal Day
Longtime .FM operator offers real-world expertise in registry operations, RSP evaluation, positioning, marketing and long-term growth.
SAN FRANCISCO, October 8, 2026 – Following ICANN’s October 7 Reveal Day for the 2026 New gTLD Program, BRS Registry is offering applicants nearly three decades of hands-on experience operating, marketing and growing a Top-Level Domain.
ICANN’s Reveal Day publication lists 1,615 new gTLD applications from 481 applicants available for public review. Analysis of ICANN’s published contention-set data identifies 263 contention sets involving 891 applications. More than half of the applications disclosed are already competing for applied-for strings.
The results make clear that success in the 2026 round will require far more than submitting an application. It will require operational readiness, a clear market position, registrar distribution, a premium-domain strategy and a sustained plan to build demand. Reveal Day gives applicants their first comprehensive view of the competitive landscape.
“There will be plenty of advice for applicants following Reveal Day,” said George T. Bundy, Chairman and CEO of BRS Media Inc. “Our perspective comes from almost 30 years of actually operating a TLD. There is a significant difference between advising on a Top-Level Domain and building, marketing and growing one over decades. That real-world operating experience is what we bring to this round.”
Since launching .FM in 1998, BRS Media has built it into a globally recognized TLD for radio, music, streaming, podcasting and digital audio. The company has developed worldwide registrar distribution, implemented premium-domain strategies and continually evolved .FM’s positioning as technology and the marketplace have changed, including its growing relevance to Audio Intelligence.
With applications now public, BRS Registry can assist applicants with Registry Service Provider evaluation, registry economics, market positioning, premium-domain strategy, marketing and long-term growth planning. The company also works with TLD operators from the 2012 round seeking to strengthen market position, increase awareness and bring new momentum to their extensions.
Applicants that designated an eligible replacement string have from October 8 through October 21, 2026, to decide whether to proceed with it. ICANN will publish the final list of applied-for strings and updated contention sets on String Confirmation Day, November 17, 2026.
“The applications have been revealed, but the real measure of this round will come years from now,” Bundy said. “Which TLDs will build recognizable brands and still be growing ten or twenty years from now? Those are the questions registry operators need to address from the beginning.”
Organizations interested in registry strategy, RSP selection and evaluation, positioning, marketing, premium domains or long-term registry growth are invited to contact BRS Registry for a consultation.
About BRS Registry
BRS Registry, a division of BRS Media Inc., brings nearly three decades of hands-on TLD experience. Since launching .FM in 1998, BRS Media has transformed a little-known country-code domain into a globally recognized, industry-specific “cult brand” associated with radio, music, streaming, podcasting, digital audio and Audio Intelligence. BRS Registry brings that real-world experience to new applicants and existing registry operators.
BRS Media / BRS Registry
+1.877.368.6853 (1-877-dot-nTLD)
registry@brsmedia.com\