Domainnews

Was ICANN’s 2015 budget forecast too rosy?

ICANN dramatically downgrades new gTLD revenues by 57%, forecasts renewals at 25% to 50%

ICANN released its 2016 draft FY16 Operating Plan & Budget for the fiscal year beginning this July, and it shows weaker-than-expected new top level domain name results in the current year.

The group expects just $14.1 million in revenue from new TLDs for FY 2015 (which ends in June). That’s well below the budgeted $19.8 million. That $19.8 million number itself was a shadow of its original proposed forecast after ICANN slashed the number of new TLD registrations it expected.

ICANN’s final 2015 budget predicted 15 million registrations in new TLDs (down from 33 million in the draft). That’s about three times as many domains are currently registered with only a few months to go, reports Domainnamewire. Read more

ICANN Draft FY16 Operating Plan & Budget

Brief Overview

Focusing on ICANN‘s commitment to the multi-stakeholder model, the ICANN Draft FY16 Operating Plan & Budget is provided for community discussion and public comment. ICANN is seeking general feedback on this plan, which implements the first year of ICANN’s Draft Five-Year Operating Plan, in support of the Five-Year Strategic Plan (approved by the Board in October 2014).

Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose

Staff has developed a Draft FY16 Operating Plan & Budget incorporating the applicable input from the community consultation of the Draft Five-Year Operating Plan and Financial Model. ICANN is now seeking community feedback on the Draft FY16 Operating Plan & Budget, which includes the plan of activities and budget for the first year of the Draft Five-Year Operating Plan.

Section II: Background

ICANN‘s planning process consists of a continuous cycle of three planning components: Strategic Plan [PDF, 1.65 MB], Five-Year Operating Plan [PDF, 1.05 MB], and Annual Operating Plan & Budget.

  • Strategic Plan is developed with community input and updated every five years. The Strategic Plan shapes our priorities, informs our budget and drives our activities. ICANN‘s Strategic Plan for FY16-FY20 was approved by the Board and published on 14 October 2014.
  • Five-Year Operating Plan, which is developed with community input and is updated yearly, contains a Five Year Planning Calendar, a Financial Model, and at the Goal level: corresponding Key Performance Indicators, Risks, 5-Year Phasing, and a list of Portfolios
  • Annual Operating Plan & Budget is developed based on the Five-Year Operating Plan along with input from the community.

The cycle completes with Achievement & Progress Reporting.

Following the approval of the FY16-FY20 Strategic Plan in October 2014, ICANN staff developed and obtained community consultation on a Draft Five-Year Operating Plan, which is scheduled for Board approval in June 2015.

Section III: Relevant Resources

Section IV: Additional Information

A session on Strategic and Operating Planning held at the ICANN 51 in Los Angeles – see http://la51.icann.org/en/schedule/wed-strategic-planning for further details.

Fadi Chehade’s (President and CEO) opening address at ICANN 51: https://www.icann.org/presidents-corner

Section V: Reports

Staff Contact

Carole Cornell