Delhi techie buys Jiohotstar domain ahead of Disney-Jio merger, offers to sell to Reliance at one price | Web series

The much-publicized merger of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar is sure to shake up the streaming landscape in India. These are two of the largest OTT players in India in terms of subscriber base, and the resulting entity could well monopolize the market, insiders say. While there has been no official word on how the two platforms will merge, reports have claimed that a common platform called JioHotstar will emerge. But that might be a bit tricky now, given that the JioHotstar domain has been grabbed by an opportunistic techie from Delhi. (Also read: Reliance’s Jio Cinema may soon merge with Disney+ Hotstar: Here’s what OTT can offer)

The JioHotstar domain name

The JioHotstar domain name currently opens on a web page with the banner JioHotstar: Best of Entertainment, Streaming Soon. However, the rather simple web page does not feature any logos or trademarks. There is, however, a message from the person who purchased the page, and it is addressed to the “Dear Executive of Reliance Industries” (the parent company of JioCinema).

The post reads: “I am an app developer based in Delhi and currently working on my startup. In early 2023, while browsing social media, I came across a news article stating that Disney+ Hotstar was losing revenue. 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+ This reminded me of when Jio acquired the music streaming service Saavn, they renamed it JioSaavn and changed the domain of Saavn. .com to JioSaavn.com I thought, “If they acquire Hotstar, they could rename it JioHotstar com.”

Developer’s request

The developer said he was willing to sell the estate if Reliance could finance his dream of going to Cambridge University for higher education. “I checked the domain and it was available. I was excited, because I felt that if it happened, I could fund my goal of studying at Cambridge,” they said, explaining that one of their projects had been selected for Cambridge University. Accelerate program a few years ago, and they want to study there but are unable to do so due to financial constraints. “Cambridge also offers a comprehensive degree program in entrepreneurship, which I always dreamed of pursuing but could never afford. It’s Cambridge, quite expensive. When I saw this field becoming available, “I felt that things could fall into place. My intention to buy this estate was simple: if this merger goes through, I might be able to realize my dream of studying at Cambridge,” the paper reads. message.

The developer reached out to Viacom and Reliance Industries “with an official letter attached, indicating your authorization to purchase” the domain name. “For a multi-billion dollar company like Reliance, this will be a minor expense, but for me, selling this domain would be truly life-changing,” the note concludes.

HT contacted JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar for comments on the matter, but did not receive any response before publishing this story. The story will be updated based on responses received from either party.