The '.tickets' web address, owned by London-based start-up Accent Media, has seen an immediate and total uptake from the US sporting community. Top US sporting bodies have flocked to the domain with MLB, the NBA and the NFL purchasing names for every one of their teams, as well as league and premium names such as 'nfl.tickets' and 'superbowl.tickets'. Several NHL teams have also purchased names.

Some European sports teams have been quick to snap up '.tickets' names, with top flight teams such as Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester United joining the roster, but the comparative uptake is a clear indication of US sporting bodies' unrivalled organisation when it comes to rights protection and marketing.

The '.tickets' web address has been available since September and has already proved popular with rights-holders. High-profile registrations include major airlines such as Lufthansa, Silicon Valley tech giants including Amazon and Google, the Formula One Group in respect of the F1 and FORMULA 1 brands, as well as bands such as U2.

With Accent having announced last September it will be selling Broadway tickets via broadway.tickets, an early joint venture, its success in the sporting field is further evidence that '.tickets' is set to have a significant impact on American entertainment marketing and rights-protection.

Steve Machin, Co-CEO of Accent Media, said: ""We admire the American attitude towards rights-protection and control of their economic interests, and we are very pleased that our proposition has been endorsed by what is a priority sector for us."

Gary Fisher, Co-CEO of Accent Media, added: "The relentless professionalism of US sports as a commercial sector is impressively shown by the zeal with which they have become early adopters of '.tickets' domains."