Delhi-based developer buys Jiohotstar.com, wants Mukesh Ambani to fund his education

Reliance Jio and Disney+ Hotstar’s imminent merger received the nod from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) earlier this week, only to witness an unusual roadblock. A Delhi-based app developer has purchased the ‘Jiohotstar.com’ domain name based on the anticipation that a joint service of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar could use a name similar to JioSaavn. He now demands Mukesh Ambani to fund his higher education at Cambridge University in exchange for the domain.

Calling himself a dreamer, the developer claims he was selected for the Cambridge University Accelerate programme where he learnt “many valuable lessons” and received “insights into the ins and outs of startups for free.” However, he now wants to pursue a full degree programme in entrepreneurship, but “could never afford” it. “It’s Cambridge, quite expensive.” That is when he took the unusual route and secured the domain at a time when the joint venture between Walt Disney and Viacom18 had not materialised.

“My intention of buying this domain was simple: if this merger happens, I might be able to fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge,” the Jiohotstar.com website reads.

The developer has mentioned that he had speculated on the possibility of the merger based on a report on Disney+ Hotstar losing the user base after the streaming service lost rights to stream Indian Premiere League matches to JioCinema and that it might be considering selling or merging its operations. He bought the domain, citing Reliance’s acquisition of Saavn – one of India’s most popular music streaming platforms, and rebranding the product to JioSaavn. In other words, should Hotstar and JioCinema merge, the entity will likely be known as JioHotstar.

He claims that Viacom18’s AVP for Commercials, Ambujesh Yadav, reached out to him, but his demand for GBP 93,345 — which he claims is the tuition fee — was rejected. In an update on the website, he mentioned that Reliance will proceed with legal action and that he might “automatically” lose access to the domain “in few hours.”

Here is the full message on the website:

Update as of October 24th: An Executive from Reliance reached out - Ambujesh Yadav Ji, AVP, Commercials. A request was made for £93,345, which represents the tuition fees for the EMBA program. The request has been denied. Reliance will proceed with legal action. I hope they will reconsider this kind request. I wish such a large group could help. Thank you to all who shared and sent kind words. I don't have the power to stand against Reliance. I don't feel I infringed any trademark when I bought this in 2023, since JioHotstar was not even in existence at that time. No body had trademark for JioHotstar when i bought it. I might automatically lose access of this domain in few hours. If any legal professional could help, I would be grateful.

Thank you, everybody.

Dear Executive of Reliance Industries,

I am an app developer based in Delhi, currently working on my startup. In early 2023, while scrolling through social media, I came across a news piece stating that Disney+ Hotstar was losing daily active users after losing the IPL streaming license, and Disney is considering selling or merging Hotstar with an Indian competitor.

This led me to hypothesize that, since Sony and Zee were pursuing their own merger, Viacom 18 (owned by Reliance) is the only major player with sufficient resources to acquire Disney+ Hotstar. This reminded me of when Jio acquired the music streaming service Saavn, they rebranded it to JioSaavn, and changed the domain from Saavn.com to JioSaavn.com. I thought, "If they acquire Hotstar, they might rename it to JioHotstar.com." I checked for the domain, and it was available. I was excited, as I felt that if this happened, I could fund my goal of studying at Cambridge.

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. However, it was limited in scope – after all it was just a startup program.

Cambridge also offers a full degree program in entrepreneurship, which I've always dreamed of pursuing but could never afford, It's Cambridge, quite expensive. When I saw this domain become available, I felt things might just fall into place. My intention of buying this domain was simple: if this merger happens, I might be able to fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge.

Now that the merger has actually happened, and news sources are confirming there will be only one site post-merger (either JioCinema or Hotstar.com), I believe JioHotstar.com would be a very fitting brand name for the merged entity. It maintains the brand equity of both brands and provides a rational transition for the current users of both sites.

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. For a multi-billion dollar company like Reliance, this will be a minor expense, but for me, the sale of this domain would be truly life-changing.

Best Regards,
A dreamer.