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    • .channel

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .channel is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) applied for and operated by Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.). The string was proposed under ICANN's New gTLD Program and is intended to host or redirect to select YouTube channel content. Registered .channel names are designed to point users to YouTube services and to create branded, short URLs for creators and publishers.

    History

    • Proposed as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program; successful applicant: Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.).
    • Application reveal: 13 June 2012 (applied-for strings).
    • Passed initial evaluation and received a Registry Agreement from ICANN on 8 May 2014.
    • Delegated to the DNS root zone on 15 September 2014.
    • Google announced the registration launch in April 2022.

    Usage and Audience

    • Primary audience: select YouTube creators, publishers and channel partners.
    • Intended uses:
      • Host or redirect to YouTube pages or specific channel offerings.
      • Support ecommerce, content monetization, and product marketing tied to creators.
      • Provide branded, short URLs (e.g., brand.channel) that point to a creator's YouTube presence.
    • Targeted toward premium members or content distributors that meet YouTube's selection criteria and approved platforms.

    Registration Rules

    • Registration purpose: .channel domain names are intended solely for use by creators and publishers to host or redirect to storefronts featuring digital and physical products, and audience-building mechanisms for monetization.
    • Phased launch announced by Google Registry:
      • Sunrise Period: May 3 – June 7, 2022 (for trademark holders via the Trademark Clearinghouse).
      • Limited Registration Period: June 8, 2022 – May 31, 2023 (applications via approved content creation platforms evaluated for policy compliance).
      • General Availability: planned for mid-2023 (TBD).
    • Applicant position: Charleston Road Registry indicated it would seek an exemption to operate with Google as the sole registrar and sole registrant; as proposed in the application, registered domains would be delegated to YouTube's DNS servers to provide authoritative responses pointing to YouTube.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • The registry's stated mission is to strengthen the brand relationship between YouTube and its content partners and to simplify the YouTube user experience.
    • Charleston Road Registry stated it expected registrants would find branding value in association with the YouTube/Google properties and that the gTLD would signal that only select YouTube content is available under the domain.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Example format suggested in the application: brand.channel as a short, branded URL that redirects to a distributor's YouTube page or specific offering.
    • Operational behavior described in the application: all registered .channel domains would be delegated to YouTube's DNS servers and would resolve to YouTube-hosted content or redirects.

    Operator

    Charleston Road Registry Inc.

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       CHANNEL

organisation: Charleston Road Registry Inc.
address:      1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
address:      Mountain View CA 94043
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         TLD Admin
organisation: Google Inc.
address:      111 8th Avenue
address:      New York NY 10011
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 404 978 8419
fax-no:       +1 650 492 5631
e-mail:       iana-contact@google.com

contact:      technical
name:         TLD Engineering
organisation: Google Inc.
address:      76 Ninth Avenue, 4th Floor
address:      New York NY 10011
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 404 978 8419
fax-no:       +1 650 492 5631
e-mail:       crr-tech@google.com

nserver:      NS-TLD1.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:32:0:0:0:69 216.239.32.105
nserver:      NS-TLD2.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:34:0:0:0:69 216.239.34.105
nserver:      NS-TLD3.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:36:0:0:0:69 216.239.36.105
nserver:      NS-TLD4.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:38:0:0:0:69 216.239.38.105
nserver:      NS-TLD5.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4805:0:0:0:0:69 216.239.60.105
ds-rdata:     37051 8 2 ad6600649ad83f822ceea5731ea43cb0c560636908219fe59bc5b0d0e5757840

whois:        

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.registry.google

created:      2014-08-23
changed:      2025-04-11
source:       IANA

    Registrars