From Nominet to CentralNic — .Blog jumps

CentralNic wins another registry contract.

Automattic, the firm behind WordPress, is switching backend registry providers for its .blog top level domain name.

The firm has used Nominet since the launch but will switch to CentralNic (London AIM: CNIC) later this year.

Nominet is the registry for .uk domain names. CentralNic is a diversified domain name firm that has won many registry contracts with its flexible pricing.

Michele Neylon, CEO of domain name registrar Blacknight, noted that many fresh TLD operators signed contracts ahead of they knew how big their zones would be. Now that they have a better idea, they might get a better deal from another backend registry provider.

He also pointed out that registry provider switches are a pain for registrars. I suspect registrars are getting used to these changes as the original contracts come up for renewal.