Seems like all the names I like have been taken but some are still available on .tv but registration for this domain is higher than average. what gives? is it suppose to be big?

.tv is a country code - it belongs to the tiny island of Tuvalu.

Most country code domains are expensive than GTLD domains (with some exceptions such as .uk)

.tv is being marketed world-wide as a "pretend GTLD", and as the government of Tuvalu has signed a long-term contract with Verisign I would say that .tv is probably fairly stable (unlike some other country codes that have been marketed as pretend GTLDs over the years). However, Tuvalu is forecast to disappear beneath the sea some time before the end of this century, so I wouldn't consider .tv a long-term investment!

NameCheap has pretty cheap TV domains!

However, Tuvalu is forecast to disappear beneath the sea some time before the end of this century, so I wouldn't consider .tv a long-term investment!

Non-existing country does not mean non-existing TLD.

.SU or .YU are perhaps the best examples of above.

I highly doubt it the country vanishes that all .tv domains will.

Non-existing country does not mean non-existing TLD.

.SU or .YU are perhaps the best examples of above.

Aren't they both meant to be phased out?

Well, Lubeca, I am not sure about .YU, but you can still purchase .SU w/o any restrictions. Here (http://nic.ru/en/) or in many other places.

http://domainsmagazine.com/Domains_1/index.shtml

ICANN has voted to phase out .yu, and the future of .su is uncertain.

While there will probably always be lengthy transition periods you can't have a ccTLD without a country... so if Tuvalu does get swallowed up by the ocean then I doubt there will be a long-term future for .tv unless the Tuvaluans are given land somewhere else to recreate their country.

.tv domains are one of, if not it's largest export. However, Tuvalu disappearing off the face of this earth is far off, so it shouldn't be a reason to hesitate to invest into .tv domains.

.TV is now offering free Video Portal which you could integrate Youtube videos to your portal . Well i know people who make it very big with their .TV domain names .. They start first by doing video blogging and now is running their own community TV station ...

Most people who bought .TV doesn't care if its a country name or not. The special thing about this is .TV reflects as Television for most people..

If you are smart enough to build this .TV domain name a video portal you could have Advertisers knocking on your doors wanting to advertised on your site or Video blog

.yu is to become .rs and .me in 3 years (Actually the .me timeframe hasn't been announced, but it can be assumed 3 years).

A bunch of money is being made off of .tv though. I don't think it would be eliminated, as the ICANN is very reluctant to tell large groups of people they are eliminating the names other people have registered. They (In past cases) offer a free rename for those who have a domain already (.yu for example, I've seen news that when it's phased out, current owners of .yu domains will get their domain in .me/.rs )

.tv will be good for video/media site, I've one that I am using for media/entertainment site.

I own a lot of .tv domains and feel only the generic names are the ones to hold. Others out of generic (brandable, etc) ned full development.