With the 2012 round of ICANN’s New gTLD Program being well behind us, it’s now time to look forward to the next round.
Titled New gTLD Program: Next Round, it is currently estimated to open in April 2026.
ICANN has published a rough timeline for the “Next Round” program on its website.
As of this writing, it shows that the New gTLD application submission period is projected to open April 2026 for 12-15 weeks.
It also shows that the RSP pre-evaluation submission period is projected to open on 19 November 2024 and close on 20 May 2025. The second evaluation period is projected to open in April 2026 for 12-15 weeks, concurrent with the opening of the Next Round application submission window.
It’s possible that this timeline could change, so be sure to check the website at the above link.
Impact of the Previous Round
The impact of ICANN’s New gTLD program, launched in 2012, has been significant in terms of expanding the diversity and availability of internet domains.
- Expansion of Domain Options: Since the program’s inception, 1,241 new gTLDs have been introduced, providing a broader array of domain options beyond the traditional
.comor.orgextensions. These new gTLDs include both generic terms like.shop,.tech, and.blogas well as brand-specific gTLDs for companies like.googleand.bmw, as well as geographical and community-specific TLDs like.berlinand.nyc(ICANN). - Registration Statistics: New gTLDs have collectively attracted millions of registrations, though adoption varies widely. For instance, popular extensions like
.xyzand.clubsaw large numbers of registrations early on. However, some gTLDs have struggled to gain traction. According to Sterne Kessler Goldstein Fox, the.xyzTLD had over 525,000 registrations by 2014, while according to Domain Name Stat, the .xyz TLD has over 15 million registrations as of this writing. - Competition and Branding Opportunities: The expanded options were intended to foster competition and create new branding opportunities for businesses. While some companies have effectively utilized unique gTLDs to reinforce their branding, many major brands still primarily use traditional domains due to the familiarity and trust consumers associate with established TLDs like
.com. - Trademark Protection and Cybersquatting: ICANN established the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) to prevent cybersquatting, which saw heavy activity with over 500,000 claims issued to prevent misuse of brand names. However, defensive registrations by companies also became common, as brands aimed to preemptively protect themselves across numerous gTLDs.
While the program has undeniably expanded the namespace and provided more options, consumer adoption has been inconsistent, with most users still gravitating toward familiar TLDs. Some gTLDs have become popular in niche markets (e.g., .app for apps, .tech for tech companies), but the overall market share for new gTLDs remains small compared to .com.
It will be interesting to see how the Next Round works out.