WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NameMedia today announced its award winning Afternic marketplace has been selected as the exclusive expiry auction partner by leading Internet registrar Tucows.

Beginning today, thousands of daily expired domains from Tucows are automatically available for auction on Afternic (www.afternic.com) where the public can bid on and purchase names through a simple and easy-to-use interface. The addition of an estimated 100,000 or more, premium domains each month to Afternic inventory will further enhance the selection of domain options for Afternic’s small business customer base.

With increased demand for domain names that are already registered, the Afternic Domain Listing Service (DLS) creates an efficient and comprehensive trading platform for both buyers and sellers of premium domains—the equivalent of the “MLS” for the secondary domain market. Afternic DLS currently offers millions of premium domains for sale to a global business audience of buyers and sellers and enjoys the highest domain sales market share in the industry.

Tucows, an industry leading and top five registrar in the world, joins an expanding list of registrars who are selecting Afternic as their exclusive auction platform for expiry domains.

NameMedia’s Marketplace senior vice president and general manager Pete Lamson said, “AfternicDLS’ mission is to create a one stop destination for domain buyers, sellers and owners. We are thrilled to add Tucows’ expiry domains to our industry leading inventory. The volume and quality of Tucows’ names is a significant step in the continued growth of AfternicDLS. “

“This was an easy decision to make. NameMedia’s domain marketplace has established itself as the industry’s leading venue for the sale of premium domains,” said Bill Sweetman, General Manager, Tucows Domain Portfolio. “NameMedia brings to the table a wealth of domain sales experience, a global SMB targeted customer base, personalized customer service and a track record of proven success”.

AfternicDLS members benefit from a global domain marketplace and a full service auction platform featuring DNescrow ™ and the industry’s most experienced team of domain consultants.

About NameMedia

NameMedia operates a leading targeted online media business and a leading online marketplace for premium domain names. Further information is available at www.namemedia.com.

About Tucows

Tucows provides Internet services for web hosting companies and ISPs. Through our global network of over 9,000 service providers we provide millions of email boxes and manage over eight million domains. Tucows is an accredited registrar with ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). We hold a domain name portfolio of approximately 150,000 domain names that are available for sale, monetized through advertising and support our wholesale Personal Names Service. Our Retail division sells Tucows services to consumers and small business owners through Domain Direct, IYD (It's Your Domain) and Net Identity. Tucows.com remains one of the most popular software download sites on the Internet. For more information please visit:

http://about.tucows.com.