Investment in Accent Media Ltd

RNS Number : 1964S

CentralNic Group PLC

22 September 2014

 



Press Release

22 September 2014

CentralNic Group plc

("CentralNic" or "the Company" or "the Group")

Investment in Accent Media Ltd, the new rights holder for the new ".tickets" Top-Level Domain

CentralNic plc (AIM: CNIC), the internet platform business which derives revenues from the global sale of domain names, today announces that further to the announcement on 18 September 2014, the Group is investing US$ 1.62 million in Accent Media Ltd ("Accent Media"), the successful applicant for the .tickets new Top-Level Domain ("TLD").  CentralNic's investment will equate to around 12% equity stake in the share capital of Accent Media (£1 ordinary shares).

The investment comes as part of CentralNic's on-going strategy of investing in Top-Level Domain applicants as well as acting as a business partner to their operators, as announced at the time of CentralNic's listing on AIM in September 2013.  The Group's invested funds were used by Accent Media to acquire the .tickets domain in a private auction, winning a contention set which included four other applicants.  In addition to this, CentralNic has entered into a contract with Accent Media to be both the exclusive wholesaler ("registry service provider") and one of the retail partners for the .tickets TLD.

Commenting on the investment, Ben Crawford CEO, of CentralNic plc, said: "The .tickets Top-Level Domain will be a compelling new tool to assist consumers in easily identifying legitimate and trusted ticket sales sites, as well as empowering venues, entertainers and sports organisations to improve their use of the internet by enabling fans to purchase tickets safely and securely.  We are delighted to be working with Accent Media in delivering this innovative new tool for the ticketing industry, and we look forward to delivering real benefits to consumers as soon as possible."

Accent Media Founder Steve Machin added: "We have brought together top specialists from across the ticketing and domain name industries to execute the vision for the .tickets domain.  We look forward to working with CentralNic to deliver what we believe will be one of the most innovative uses of a new Top-Level Domain bringing significant benefits to online consumers and businesses in the global ticketing industry."

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For further information:

CentralNic Group plc
Ben Crawford (CEO)	[phone]
Zeus Capital
Ross Andrews / Nick Cowles (Corporate Finance)	[phone]
John Goold (Institutional Sales)	[phone]
Abchurch Communications
Jamie Hooper / Olivia Stuart Taylor	[phone]
[e-mail]	www.abchurch-group.com

About Accent Media and the Dot Tickets Organisation

Accent Media Limited and The Dot Tickets Organisation has been set up by ticketing industry pioneer Steve Machin (former Ticketmaster, Live Nation) and Gary Fisher (former partner Lansdowne Consulting).  The mission of The Dot Tickets Organisation is to create a safe, secure and trusted global domain environment (.tickets) for online ticket sales, marketing and promotions which are free from fraudulent activity.  The Dot Tickets Organisation is Chaired by Tommy Higgins, former Group Managing Director of UK & Ireland for Ticketmaster and former Executive Vice President of Ticketmaster Europe.  It is supported across the industry by government agencies and the police, The Musicians Union, The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, The Featured Artist Coalition, The Music Managers Forum and the Association of Independent Festivals.

About CentralNic Group plc

CentralNic (LSE: CNIC) is a London-based AIM-listed company which earns revenues from the worldwide sales of internet domain names over a technology platform that it developed and manages.  These domain names are sold on an annual subscription basis and paid for by customers upfront, making CentralNic a cash-generative business with annuity revenue streams.  CentralNic comprises three business lines within the domain name industry.  It operates a global wholesale network, supplying domain names to over 1,500 vendors in 77 countries, and is a leader in wholesaling for new Top-Level Domains - the new endings for domain names being introduced as alternatives to .com and .net.  CentralNic is the exclusive wholesaler for all domains ending with .website, .wiki, .bar, .feedback and .xyz, with more than 50 others under contract.  CentralNic is also a leading global domain name retailer, with its retail websites including internetbs.net, buydomains.london and domain.luxury.  Additionally, via its enterprise programme, CentralNic supplies domain names (including high-value premium domain names), software and services directly to large corporations and governments.

For more information please visit: www.centralnic.com

 

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