Delhi ‘dreamer’ buys Jiohotstar.com, wants Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance to fund his Cambridge tuition fee, ET BrandEquity

A Delhi-based app developer has secured the domain name “JioHotstar.com,” anticipating a potential merger between Reliance’s JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. The developer, in a letter published on the website, has reached out to Reliance Industries, proposing that the company fund his higher education in exchange for the domain.

Buying JioHotstar Domain Developer’s bold move

The app developer, who prefers to remain anonymous and signed the letter as “a dreamer,” explained his reasoning for purchasing the domain. He mentioned that he had speculated on the possibility of the merger based on reports about Disney+ Hotstar’s declining user base after losing the IPL streaming rights and Disney’s potential plans to sell or merge Hotstar with an Indian competitor.His letter, addressed to Reliance Industries executives, reads, “My intention of buying this domain was simple: if this merger happens, I might be able to fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge.”

Vision for a merged brand

In the letter, the developer highlights his belief that “JioHotstar” could be the ideal name for the newly merged entity. He cites Reliance’s previous acquisition of the music streaming service Saavn, which was rebranded to JioSaavn, as a precedent for such a move. He suggested that this branding approach could maintain the brand equity of both JioCinema and Hotstar while providing a smooth transition for users of both platforms.He further 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.”

Reliance-Disney merger nearing completion

The merger between Reliance Industries’ Viacom18 and Disney’s Star India is expected to be finalized by early November, pending final regulatory approvals. This deal is set to create one of India’s largest media and entertainment companies, valued at $8.5 billion.

The merger, first announced in February, has moved swiftly through regulatory processes, receiving conditional approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and clearance from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB).

Viacom18 will transfer its assets to Star India, which will operate the new combined media entity.

Read his full letter visible on the Jiohotstar.com domain here ..

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.

• Published On Oct 24, 2024 at 09:13 PM IST

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