JioHotstar Domain Taken Hostage: Developer’s Unique Pitch to Fund His Education

A Delhi-based app developer has bought JioHotstar domain name. The domain takes a user to a website consisting of a letter addressed to “executives of Reliance Industries [RIL]”, where the person has asked the company to fund his higher studies in exchange for giving up the domain.

The app developer, currently working on their start-up, hoped to fulfill their dream of getting enrolled in Cambridge University through the sale of the domain to the company following the merger between JioCinema and Hotstar.

An update on the letter mentioned that Ambujesh Yadav, AVP, Commercials, a Reliance executive has reached out. The request for £93,345 to fund the tuition fees for an entrepreneurship programme in the University has been denied. RIL will proceed with legal actions. It further added that the techie do not have the power to stand against RIL.

The Open Letter 

Mentioning the rebranding of Saavn as JioSaavn, post Jio’s acquisition of the music platform, the techie said in the letter, “If they acquire Hotstar, they might rename it to JioHotstar.com." The domain was available, and the person saw an opportunity to fund an entrepreneurship programme in Cambridge University.

“In 2021, I was working on a project that was selected for the Cambridge University Accelerate program. It was a transformational experience for me. I couldn't crack IIT and always wanted to learn from the best, coming from a Tier-II college, being selected for this program was an incredibly valuable and practical experience. The startup program taught me many valuable lessons and provided insights into the ins and outs of startups for free, which was amazing,” the letter mentioned. 

The techie has asked RIL to reach out to purchase the domain. “To acquire this domain, kindly reach out to mail@jiohotstar.com from your company email address with an official letter attached, stating your authorization to purchase on behalf of Reliance Industries/Viacom18,” the letter adds.

The Merger 

Followed by the announcement of the mega merger of Reliance and Disney, anticipation of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar getting merged has been building for a while now, with reports of the latter absorbing the former to become the primary streaming platform for the combined entity. While there has been no official information on how the two platforms will merge, reports have claimed one common platform called JioHotstar may emerge.

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Both the platforms have a significant subscriber base and a robust content library, including premium content from Star and Viacom18’s channels. Both of them lead in live sports streaming for IPL, ICC, BCCI and Premier League, as well as in Hollywood content from Disney, HBO, NBC Universal and Paramount Global. 

The result of the $8.5bn deal will be a media and entertainment giant the likes of which has never been seen before. With a 63 per cent stake in the new entity, RIL and its chairman Mukesh Ambani will become the main movers of India’s media sector in the coming years. All the important segments in the media industry, from content production to distribution channels, will witness the presence of RIL.

The merger has received approval from the Competition Commission of India, the National Company Law Tribunal and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.