3rd Apr 2017 07:00
For release at 07.00 on 3 April 2017
Minds + Machines Group Limited
("mmx" or the "Company")
.vip and geographic gTLDs update
Minds + Machines Group Limited (AIM: MMX), one of the world's leading owners and operators of Internet Top-Level Domains ("TLDs"), is pleased to report orders for over 200,000 new registrations in its .vip top-level domain valued at US$1.3 million.
The orders comprise both standard names and premium names, including 61 premium names sold via the recently completed eName auction. The order contracts also ensure high renewal rates for the new registrations and a guaranteed minimum of $1.3 million of income payable to MMX over the life of the contracts. It is expected that the registrations will show on industry sites tracking new gTLD registrations, such as nTLDStats (ntldstats.com), over the next ten days and will take total registrations in .vip to in excess of 800,000.
Toby Hall, CEO of MMX commented:
"The latest registrations underline the ongoing vibrancy of the Chinese domain name market and the long-term potential of .vip both in China and potentially the wider Asia region. It also bodes well for the upcoming first-year renewals season following the industry breaking first month launch of .vip last May. Management is confident of its ability to exceed the 2017 one million registration target set for .vip."
The Company has identified a number of factors which it believes is driving .vip's growth in China, namely:
· Domain investors recognising the long-term relevance of .vip web extensions for China's burgeoning SME market as well as the region's established corporates;
· the first mover advantage generated for .vip in China via it gaining MIIT regulatory approval (announced December 2016);
· the supportive entrepreneurial environment within the China's fast growing internet industry; and
· the strength of MMX's in-country management team and in-country distribution partners.
Geographic gTLDs update
Separately, the Company is also pleased to report that the Heads of Terms agreement announced on 21 March 2017 regarding mmx's geographic TLDs has now proceeded to contract on the first of the geographic TLDs covered by the Heads of Terms with the second to proceed in due course. The Directors believe the agreement will lead to a material increase of registrations in the two relevant geo TLDs over the next twelve months.
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For further information please contact:
Minds + Machines Group Limited |
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Toby Hall, CEO | Tel: +44 (0) 7713 341072 |
Michael Salazar, COO/CFO | Tel: +1 (310) 740 7499 |
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finnCap Ltd | Tel: 020 7220 0500 |
Corporate finance - Stuart Andrews/Carl Holmes/Simon Hicks Corporate broking - Tim Redfern/Camille Gochez |
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Belvedere Communications Limited | Tel: +44 (0) 20 3567 0510 |
John West Kim van Beeck |
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The information communicated in this announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014.
About MMX
Minds + Machines Group Limited (LSE: MMX) is the owner and operator of a world class portfolio of top-level domain assets (gTLDs). As a sales and marketing-led registry business, we are focused on commercializing our portfolio in partnership with our expanding global network of distribution partners.
The MMX portfolio is currently focused around geographic domains (e.g. .london, .boston, .miami, .bayern), professional occupations (e.g. .law, .abogado, and .dds), consumer interests (e.g. .fashion, .wedding, .vip), lifestyle (e.g. .fit, .surf, .yoga), outdoor activities (e.g..fishing, .garden, .horse) and generic names such as .work and .casa. As a business, we work through our expanding international network of registrars and distribution partners to bring the benefits of affinity based domain addresses to B2B and consumer audiences. For more information on MMX, please visit www.mmx.co
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