HosterStats.com: .eu Domain Name Registrations Graph
The .eu ccTLD Registrations Graph
The launch of the .eu ccTLD in 2005 coincided with a growing domain name bubble worldwide. The problem was that while the ccTLD was intended for those in the European Union, it had already become a focus of domain name speculation. The new registrations figures are those published by EUrid and the deleted domain counts are estimates based on the differences between the domain counts on the first of each month and the domain count on the first day of the month prior. The deletion figures are estimates.
The graph shows the new domain name registration counts for the month prior to the start of each month from January 2007 onwards. Using the difference between the .eu ccTLD domain name count at the start of each month and at the start of the prior month, it is possible to estimate the number of domains deleted. The Landrush phase for .eu ccTLD lasted from the 7th of April 2006 to the end of August 2006. During that period non-EU domain name speculation accounted for a significant section of .eu ccTLD domain name registrations. The result was that many EU businesses that failed to get their equivalent domain name in Sunrise phase or the Landrush phase lost their domains to these non-EU operators. These businesses would have been the pioneers of web development in the ccTLD and as a result, many of the ccTLDs in the European Union saw increased numbers of registrations.
The first anniversary of the Land Rush generally results in thousands of the highly speculative domain name registrations not being renewed. With .eu ccTLD, the approximate number of deletions on the first anniversary of its Landrush was 273,310 domains. The 2008 Landrush anniversary saw approximately 192,889 .eu domain names being dropped. A spike in new registrations over June 2008 may have been some of these domain names being registered again but EUrid was also running a discount promotion on new registrations. This promotion and the reregistrations of dropped domains lessened the impact of the 2008 Landrush anniversary drops. The 2009 Landrush anniversary was lower than previous years with approximately 151,085 domains being dropped. It was followed by an exceptionally high number of dropped domains for the July 2009 figure (approximately 94285 domains). Many of these domains could have been the 2008 promotion domains that were being dropped as this boom and bust cycle is a common feature of these domain name promotions.
In December 2009, EUrid opened the .eu ccTLD to Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs). This allowed domain names with accents to be registered. The bulk of these domains were registered over December 2009 and this is reflected in the new registration figures for January 2010 (approximately 126,531 domains). The Landrush anniversary drop for 2010 was approximately 114,388 domains. It was less than previous years. Some .eu IDN domains have dropped and there is a slight increase in deleted domains from January 2011 to March 2011.
The 2011 Landrush anniversary drop was approximately 115,103 domains. Some of these deleted domains are domains registered during the 2006 Landrush. The .eu registration figure for Cyprus dropped from 53,880 domains on 01 January 2011 to 25,660 .eu domains on 01 May 2011. A number of Cypriot front companies were used by the Ovidio Limited group of registrars to register a large number (approximately 75,000 domains) for direct navigation purposes. EUrid took legal action against this group of non-EU registrars and deactivated their domain names. It was later forced by a court decision to reactivate all of these domains or face a court fine. However as a new TLD matures, a lot of the highly speculative domain name registrations will drop each years. The brand protection registrations and domain names that have developed websites will be those most likely to be renewed.