.Blog leaves Nominet for CentralNic

The .Blog domain name registry, owned by Automatic and WordPress, has decided to leave Nominet for CentralNic regarding registry backend services.

.Blog was launched using Nominet but the registry has decided to switch to CentralNic without giving too much details as to why this move is happening.

Currently, the change is pending approval from ICANN that will soon receive. The expected completion date for the registry backend migration is late August/early September 2019.

Here is the complete announcement today:

“When it comes to registry operations, the technical infrastructure used to support a TLD is one very important part of the puzzle. Registry operators work silently in the background ensuring that everything works, consistently and predictably.

Prior to the launch of .blog, we evaluated a wide variety of options when selection backend registry operators. Due to their lengthy experience, stability, and knowledge in the domain industry, we chose Nominet as our registry operator. The Nominet team was critical in the .blog launch and we remain highly appreciative of the insight, expertise, and service they’ve provided us over these past three years.

As we move into the next phase of .blog, we have decided to partner with CentralNic. CentralNic registry is the leading registry backend service provider for new Top-Level Domains with over 30% market share and 8 million domains under management. We look forward to working with the CentralNic team to further advance .blog through tools and services available via their registry services.

Deciding to change backend providers was a difficult decision and not one that we take lightly. We understand the time and effort it takes during the migration process, both on behalf of registrars, as well as everyone else involved. We strongly believe that this new partnership will enhance the .blog experience for our registrar, reseller partners, and registrants. We’re fortunate to have Nominet’s continued support to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Currently, the change is pending approval at ICANN. The expected completion date for the migration is late August/early September 2019. Once we have more detailed information, we will communicate that to our registrar channel and will remain in communication to make sure this process is as transparent and seamless as possible.”