The top-level domain (TLD) ITV stands for Independent Television and is not a standard or widely recognized TLD. TLDs, also known as domain extensions, usually signal the purpose, location, organization, or ownership of a website. The most common top-level domains are .com, .org, .net, .int, .edu, .gov, and country code top-level domains (ccTLD) like .us, .uk, .fr, etc. An example of a custom TLD would be .google or .amazon, which belong exlcusively to the respective companies.
In the case of ITV, it is known to be a major commercial public service TV network based in the United Kingdom and owned by ITV plc (Wikipedia). Any domain associated with it would likely be under the .co.uk or .com TLD, as no ITV TLD currently exists according to the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) database.
The ICANN is in charge of maintaining and coordinating the Internet Protocol (IP) address spaces and the assignment of address blocks to regional Internet registries. It also manages top-level domain name space (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority). ICANN allows certain organizations to create custom TLDs. In the past, in 2012, it allowed the creation of about 1,930 new generic TLDs such as .app, .vegas, .nyc, etc. However, each new domain costs around $185,000 to set up, along with several other stringent criteria, which puts a high barrier to entry for most organizations.
There are also rules and regulations governing who can create and own a TLD, and they are generally only approved for established corporations, organizations, or governments. There are restrictions and procedures in place meant to ensure internet safety and privacy (ICANN website).
In conclusion, ITV is mainly known as the name of the British public service broadcaster. It doesn’t have its own custom TLD as per the ICANN database. A website associated with ITV is typically found under the .com or .co.uk TLD. Creation of any new custom TLD has to go through thorough examination and approvals by ICANN with considerable cost, making it a daunting process for most organizations.
Some proposed new domains have attracted controversy, and the creation of new TLDs remains a complex and evolving issue. However, it will be interesting to see if more companies or organizations like ITV seek to establish their own TLDs in the future.
Sources:
Wikipedia – “Independent Television” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV_(TV_network))
ICANN – TLD List (https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt)
ICANN – “New gTLDs” (https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/program)
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority – “What we do” (https://www.iana.org/what-we-do)
