Rook Media purchases DomainSponsor

Oversee.net has sold DomainSponsor and its domain name portfolio to Rook Media.

One of the largest domain name parking firms has been purchased.

Rook Media has purchased domain name parking firm DomainSponsor from Oversee.net, the firms confirmed today.

DomainSponsor is one of the oldest domain parking firms, serving clients since 2002. Rook, on the other hand, just launched in 2011. Rook was founded by former employees of NameDrive, a parking firm that was purchased by KeyDrive in 2011.

Oversee.net has previously sold off a couple businesses counting registrar Moniker and expired domain service SnapNames. But DomainSponsor was the firm’s initial business, so the firm has essentially sold off its core. Oversee.net continues to run a number of vertically focused lead generation websites, which has been the area of growth for the firm in recent years.

Rook CEO Ash Rahimi told Reglike today that Rook and DomainSponsor will continue to operate as separate parking platforms for the foreseeable future.

“The client experience will be the same as it always was,” stated Rahimi. “We will be incrementally taking the best features of Rook and DomainSponsor and implementing them across platforms”.

Rahimi stated the buyout brings together the best of international monetization with Rook and U.S. monetization with DomainSponsor.

“We are the largest domain parking firm by a fair margin at this point,” he stated.

Rahimi states the buyout has been a number of months in the making.

“It takes time,” he explained. “We’re two competitors in a pretty modest industry. It’s difficult to go out there and get the usual data [necessary to evaluate an buyout].”

The buyout, which closed last Friday, includes Oversee.net’s owned and operated domain name portfolio. It does not include the DomainFest conference brand.

All of DomainSponsor’s approximately 30 employees have joined Rook. That doesn’t include Dwayne Walker, who has been the face of DomainSponsor at conferences in recent years. Walker will help with the transition but remain with Oversee.net.

Oversee.net CEO Debra Domeyer told Reglike that the firm wasn’t actively shopping DomainSponsor for sale. It didn’t have serious conversations regarding an buyout with any firms other than rook.

“I’m real positive regarding [the buyout],” she stated. “I feel really good regarding the Rook team and I’ve gotten to know them really well.”

Domeyer states that Oversee.net now has regarding 50-60 employees.