Will UStream Be Changing To .COM?

Gizmodo recently reported that the islands of Tuvalu are sinking.  The .tv top level domain belongs to Tuvalu and according to ICANN if a country is no longer in existence the top level domain must be phased out.  That being said (if the islands really do sink – they are nine of them) what will happen to a number of sites which have been built from this TLD (.tv)?  One startup which immediately came to my mind because I use their services is Ustream.

Ustream just recently redesigned their site completely (I like the redesign by the way, but that’s besides the point here) and I’m not sure how many people took notice of the fact that they removed the .TV from their logo and favicon.  Ustream’s current logo is just Ustream and their favicon which once featured a .TV is just a U.  Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it’s because they received news of the islands going under. Or maybe, .com is still cemented in everyone’s minds as the top level domain everything is under.

Either way, it appears Ustream is moving away from the .tv TLD and towards the .com. It appears they have even secured Ustream.com as it seems to currently be redirecting to the .tv.  This is definitely a smart move for Ustream – it will only benefit them.  I’m curious to know who owned the .com prior to Ustream and maybe if we can get some kind of acquisition information with regards to price paid for the domain.

What are your thoughts?  Leave a comment!