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Delhi software developer hoards JioHotstar domain, asks for money to fund his Cambridge degree

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By Vani Dua

4 min read | Updated on October 25, 2024, 20:25 IST

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SUMMARY

An app developer from Delhi, who holds the domain for JioHotstar.com, is asking Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to fund his full-time course at Cambridge in exchange for the domain name. In a personal message to RIL on his domain JioHotstar.com, he requested the company to help him pursue his dream.

The merger of Reliance's Viacom18 and Star India is expected to be completed by end of Q3 FY25

The merger of Reliance's Viacom18 and Star India is expected to be completed by the end of Q3 FY25

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is reportedly planning to retain Disney+ Hotstar as its sole streaming platform following the merger of Star India and Viacom18, absorbing JioCinema. RIL and Walt Disney signed a deal worth $8.5 billion to merge Star and Viacom18 back in February.

This merger is significant for the entertainment space in India as both platforms have a significant subscriber base, making space for the new and combined platform to lead the industry.

However, even before the wheels for the new platform have started rolling, there is already a hurdle in the way that has potential implications for the upcoming platform. A tech-savvy developer from Delhi, who calls himself ‘a dreamer’, has snapped the domain name JioHotstar. Interestingly, he has done so to acquire funds for achieving his dream of pursuing a full-time course at Cambridge. While JioHotstar.com previously opened to a bare-bones page with the text ‘Best of Entertainment, Streaming Soon’, it now leads to a message by the developer with a text that reads, “Reliance Industries, If you could help…”

What went down exactly?

The developer mentioned in his message addressed to Reliance Industries that in early 2023, he read in a news piece that Disney+ Hotstar was losing daily active users and was considering selling or merging Hotstar. Further, the Sony-Zee merger (now terminated) and branding of JioSaavn (after Jio acquired the music streaming platform Saavn) led him to believe that Reliance’s Viacom18 could acquire Disney+ Hotstar and name it JioHotstar. This is when he checked the availability of the domain and grabbed the opportunity to buy it.

He then mentioned that he had always dreamt of pursuing a full degree program in entrepreneurship at Cambridge University but could never afford it.

“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,” the post read.
The developer went on to ask for funds for the course and asked Reliance to reach out to him at mail@jiohotstar.com and added, “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.” He signed off the message with ‘A dreamer.’

Update on the situation

The developer added an update as of October 24 saying that while an executive from Reliance reached out, his request for £93,345, representing the tuition fees for the EMBA program, was denied. He added that Reliance will proceed with legal actions for the domain.

He ended the message update by saying, “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. Nobody had a trademark for JioHotstar when I bought it. I might automatically lose access to this domain in a few hours. If any legal professional could help, I would be grateful. Thank you, everybody.”

About The Author

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Vani Dua is a journalism graduate from LSR College, Delhi. She is passionate about news and presently covers markets, business, economy, and other related fields. She is an avid reader and loves to spend her time weaving stories in her head.

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