Mayor de Blasio Announces .nyc is Fastest Growing City Domain Six Months After Launch

May 15, 2015

.nyc’s Rapid Growth and Success Underscores Big Apple’s Position as a Leader in Global Technology

NEW YORK -- Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that just six months after its historic public launch, the. nyc top-level domain has become the fastest-growing city domain in the world – racking up over 75,000 registrations to date. New York is the only city with top-level Internet domain exclusively reserved for its residents and businesses.

“With the public launch of .nyc, we broke ground on a new type of real estate in New York City – a unique digital space created for New Yorkers and by New Yorkers,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “In only six short months, .nyc has become a thriving online community where small businesses, organizations and entrepreneurs across the five boroughs are prospering.”

“These statistics highlight the broad, diverse user base for .nyc, which will continue to expand as more New Yorkers learn of these opportunities,” said Minerva Tantoco, Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York.  “Now you can add the City’s web domain to the long list of things New York City is known for – in addition to bagels, bodegas and Broadway.”

“Since its public launch last October, .nyc has proven as vibrant as the New Yorkers who have made it their own,” said Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Anne Roest. “With more than 75,000 registrations to date and counting – all by individuals, businesses, and organizations based in the five boroughs – .nyc is fast establishing itself as a true digital destination.”

The news coincides with a recent report by the digital funding platform Gust that, for the first time, New York edged out California in the total number of startup funding applications in the first quarter of 2015 underscoring the city’s position as a leader in global technology.

With the launch of .nyc, the City of New York became one of the first cities in the country with a top-level domain, creating new opportunities to support local businesses, organizations and residents, and establishing an unprecedented level of geographic authority to the digital sphere. Unlike other top-level domains such as .com or .net, .nyc domains are only available to individuals, businesses or organizations with a physical address within the five boroughs.

In partnership with Neustar, the official registry for .nyc, the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation today released new data, offering strong support for the efficacy of the City’s domain registration policies, which aim to prevent cybersquatting and price-gouging. The data reflects .nyc domain registrations through March 31, 2015:

• There are more than two dozen industries represented on the .nyc domain
• 53 percent of .nyc domains have been registered to individuals; 47 percent have been registered to small businesses and organizations
• The average registrant owns between 2-3 domains, and 97 percent of registrants own 10 or fewer domains
• The average retail cost paid for .nyc domain is $34.99

In addition to serving as a digital platform for small businesses, individuals and organizations, .nyc is also helping to spur the creation of new online communities. Notable among these efforts is Digital.nyc, the official online hub of the New York City startup and technology ecosystem. Since its launch in October 2014, Digital.nyc has seen over 1.2 million page views, resulting in over 123,000 content engagements, and over 3,000 user-generated content submissions. Currently, Digital.nyc receives over 110,000 visitors per month and the site’s directory has grown to 6,455 startups.

This summer, the City will also officially launch Neighborhoods.nyc, a new online platform that community groups can use to develop online hubs for civic engagement, online organizing, and information-sharing. In 2014, the de Blasio administration reserved roughly 400 neighborhood names - including Harlem.nyc, Astoria.nyc and ParkSlope.nyc – and began accepting requestes from community groups interested in licensing these domains. The new domains will leverage custom neighborhood data feeds that are being developed in partnership with 311 and the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics.

“The great success of .nyc further shows the innovation and forward thinking of NYC’s small businesses and entrepreneurs,” said Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “Leveraging the NYC brand and community established through a .nyc domain is smart for business, and we hope to see many more New Yorkers join our City’s digital space.”

“The .nyc domain offers real value to New Yorkers across all five boroughs, creating a new opportunity to leverage the City’s brand in the digital space,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Kyle Kimball. “The success of the .nyc domain comes as no surprise, as New York City is also home to the fastest growing tech ecosystem in the world.  As this growth continues, we look forward to seeing even more New Yorkers using .nyc to show pride in our great City.”

“The .nyc domain name is becoming what we hoped for six years ago, when we first envisioned this concept: a branded online neighborhood for New York businesses, residents, and organizations,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “We still have a ways to go, but I fully expect and am looking forward to the day when a .nyc domain carries as much cachet as a 212 area code.”

"It's great to see people taking advantage of the .nyc domain that is becoming a part of the city's identity," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. "We are one of the few cities in the country with our exclusive domain, helping us not only expand our technological sphere-of-influence in the industry but also solidify our own ever-growing identity as a top-flight city in the world."

“Last October, New York City became the first city to offer a top-level Internet domain exclusively reserved for its residents and businesses. To no one’s surprise, the .nyc top-level domain became the fastest growing city domain in the world. Time and again, our city has paved the way in technological innovations to bolster economic development, and .nyc has cemented New York City as a bona fide brand,” said Council Member James Vacca, Chair of the Committee on Technology. “This rapid growth has been exciting to watch, and I look forward to the domain’s continued expansion throughout all five boroughs.”

“I love that there is so much good news to share about the .nyc domain just six months in. At the top of my list is the excitement small businesses have shown for this opportunity, demonstrated by the fact that they represent nearly half of registrants to date. With a price point below $40, I expect small business participation to increase even more as the benefits of registration become better known and broadband access expands citywide,” said Council Member Robert Cornegy, Chair of the Committee on Small Business.

“The .nyc domain is the ideal top-level domain for NYC-focused businesses and communities. The domain says it all, and serves as an inherent branding device," said Justin Cina, Marketing Director at Gust.com and Digital.NYC.

“New York already leads the nation with the strongest open data law, and one of the most prolific and regularly updated collections of APIs,” said Aileen Gemma Smith, CEO of the Staten Island startup, Vizalytics Technology.  “With neighborhood.nyc, we have an opportunity to expand access to this data, demonstrate the value of these open data portals for community residents, and bolster the economic impact that transparency provides for communities.”

“Domains are no longer commoditized products, but extensions of a brand’s identity,” said Lisa Hook, President and CEO of Neustar, Inc. “New York City is at the forefront of the digital economy and its residents are reaping the opportunities that a globally recognized city domain can provide them. We are thrilled to see the success of the .nyc domain and the nascent impact it has had on New York’s business community,” she added.

“From the moment we heard about the launch of .nyc, we knew we wanted to be a part of this community of organizations and businesses dedicated to New York City,” said Samuel Slaton, Director of Communications for Bike New York. “Bike.nyc has become a crucial medium through which we share our expertise and passion so that cyclists of all abilities can gain the skills and know-how they need to safely navigate and discover the riches of New York City.”

“I launched souvenirs.nyc to offer curated modern, artistic and handmade souvenirs to New York City tourists and enthusiasts around the world,” said Art Malkov, Founder of souvenirs.nyc. "We were thrilled to see that within three weeks of our launch we had shot to the top of Google for many of the most important keywords!”

“We looked no further than .nyc when launching the new home for our Lower East Side-based public art program," said Natalie Raben, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Lower East Side Business Improvement District. "We felt strongly that no other piece of online real estate would be able to illustrate the local significance and community engagement pieces that a grassroots project of this nature carries. The overwhelmingly positive response and attention we've already received for  100gates.nyc speaks for itself."

“NYC is both a highly local and highly international city, so the .nyc program has perfectly mirrored our business model in terms of our areas of emphasis.” said Diane Bates, co-founder of Blue Sky Communications. “The brand association with NYC is undeniable. That combined with owning our own piece of digital real estate has elevated our authority and enhanced the cachet of our brand in ways that are both unique and compelling for our type of business.”

For more information about .nyc and to register your own, visit OwnIt.nyc.