Ancestry Announces 2015 Product and Content
Lineup
Industry
Leader Talks Innovation and New Collections At Annual RootsTech Conference
(PROVO, Utah) – February 11, 2015 – Ancestry, the world's leading family history service, is ushering in the
next generation of family history, with the debut of an updated story centric website,
groundbreaking advancements in AncestryDNA that will revolutionize how people discover
their ancestors, and the anticipated addition of nearly 1 billion new records to
the largest collection of historical records online in 2015.
“We’re incredibly
excited about all the amazing things we have in store for our members this
year,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry. “In 2015, we’ll be launching some of
the most innovative new features and services in our company’s history. We think these additions are going to make
Ancestry an even more powerful resource for our existing users, while also
making family history easier, more accessible, and more fun for those just
getting started. We’re also proud of our
commitment to continue investing in new content. Our 2015 content roadmap will be anchored by
our expected fall release of more than 170 million Probate and Wills images,
one of the most exciting, engaging, and interesting content collections we’ve
ever published.”
Over the next
year, Ancestry will introduce breakthrough features and compelling content –
made possible by powerful advancements in science and technology – that will
give you an easier, richer and more engaging way to discover and tell your
family story, and make your family history journey easy and engaging, through a
highly customized, relevant and historically rich experience rooted in discovery
and storytelling.
·
Major Product Developments
o
A new and
improved Ancestry website will make it easier for anyone to discover and
tell the rich, unique story of their family, through new features and site
enhancements that will reinvent the ways Ancestry members create and showcase
their family story. The new site
experience is currently in limited Beta and will be demonstrated at RootsTech
On Friday, Feb. 13 at 1:00 pm MT (Room 151) as well as at the Ancestry booth.
Visitors to the Ancestry booth will be able to opt in to participate in the
Beta.
o
Ancestry mobile will introduce a full search feature in the iOS app that
will empower users to access 15 billion historical records and hints
anytime, anywhere in the native app environment. The intuitive interface will
make both simple and advanced searches easier, while the presentation of search
results will also help you quickly identify and prioritize the most important
results, making search less complicated. The Ancestry mobile team will
showcase version 1 search in the Ancestry booth and discuss search and other
mobile features in length during an FGS class, “Ancestry’s Mobile World,” on
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1:00 pm MT.
o
Ancestry will also remain committed to providing
the best in educational resources with the launch of Ancestry Academy in April. The new resource will offer how-to tutorials
and historical guidance to help experts and novices alike. Released as a
limited Beta this week, Ancestry Academy will be showcased via demo in the
Exhibit Hall on Friday, Feb 13 at 3 pm MT. Those interested in participating in
this Beta should stop by the Ancestry booth for more information.
·
Continued Growth for AncestryDNA
o
With a database of over 700,000 genotyped members,
AncestryDNA has generated over one billion cousin connections to date. In 2015, we project this database to grow to
exceed well over one million genotyped members, resulting in even more and
higher quality cousin matches.
o
Following the successful launch of AncestryDNA in
the UK, we will soon be bringing the service to our members in Australia and
Canada, and in doing so, will connect the major English-speaking migrations and
globally connect families like never before.
o
Building on DNA Circles, in 2015 we will launch a new experience that will use
the latest genetic technology to discover new ancestors without the customer
having to search records or build a family tree. This new feature will transform
how family history research is done by providing valuable hints to help experienced
genealogist looking to break through brick walls, as well as open family
history to a whole new segment of the population. Through this new experience, AncestryDNA customers will be able to discover new ancestors
as far back as the 1700’s by connecting into existing DNA Circles.
·
Ancestry Around the World
o
Last winter, Ancestry expanded the availability of Archives.com to users in the UK, and
just last month in Australia and Canada.
o
Later this year, Ancestry will announce resources for
users in Germany and Mexico. With
more than 58 million Americans claiming sole or partial German heritage* and an
estimated 34 million residents of Mexican origin** the new sites will give nearly
100 million people in the US alone, the ability to learn more about their
family’s story.
·
New Record Collections
o
This fall Ancestry will release more than 170
million name-searchable images of million Probate
and Wills records. The most comprehensive collections of its kind,
these records will provide access to almost all wills probated in the United
States from the mid 19th century to 2000– an unprecedented treasure
trove of information to better inform familial narratives.
o
This spring, Ancestry will release the
comprehensive service records collection for the Australian Imperial Forces
– the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War 1. Made
available in time for Australia’s 100-year commemoration of its entrance into
the war, the historical records will help honor the brave men and women that served.
o
Also
in 2015, Ancestry will make available in the UK, a variety of content
collections including WWI War
Diaries, Parish Baptism
Marriage and Burial Registers, and a collection of Francis Frith historic photos gathered from over 7,000
individual cities, towns, and villages across the UK from 1860-1960.
·
Professional
Research, Award Winning Television and You
o
With more than 150 years of combined
research experience, Ancestry’s professional research group, AncestryProGenealogists,
has helped people trace their family trees and connect with the past for more
than 15 years. The team has grown to become the largest service of its kind,
supporting research for the Emmy Nominated Show “Who Do You Think You Are?.” AncestryProGenealogists
will continue to grow and help solve family mysteries, break down brick walls,
and discover the stories that tell you who you are and where you came from.
o
Ancestry will also continue showcasing
family history around the world, through shows like Who Do You Think You Are?, Genealogy
Roadshow, Finding Your Roots, and Long Lost Family.
“Your family story
is a universe that is always expanding,” said Sullivan. “With new products and
even more records, Ancestry will provide the most unique, personable, and engaging
family history experience on the planet.”
To learn more
about how Ancestry is transforming family history, visit the Ancestry booth at
the RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah from February 11-14, 2015.
###
* 1990 U.S. Census
** Pew Research Center 2013
About Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com is the world's largest online
family history resource with more than 2 million paying subscribers across all
its websites. More than 15 billion records have been added, and users have
created more than 60 million family trees to the core Ancestry websites,
including its flagship site www.ancestry.com and its
affiliated international websites.
Ancestry.com offers a suite of online family history brands, including
Archives.com, Fold3.com, Newspapers.com, as well as the AncestryDNA product,
sold by its subsidiary, Ancestry.com DNA, LLC, all of which along with its core
Ancestry websites, are all designed to empower people to discover, preserve and
share their family history.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
anticipated by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties
include a variety of factors, some of which are beyond the company’s control.
In particular, such risks and uncertainties include the company's ability to
add tools and features and provide value to satisfy customer demand and its
ability to acquire content and make it available online. Information concerning
additional factors that could cause events or results to differ materially is
contained under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for Ancestry.com LLC for the period ended September 30, 2014, which was filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 3, 2014, and in
discussions in other of the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission
filings. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as
representing our views as of any subsequent date and we assume no obligation to
publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements.
