Delhi-based app developer predicts JioCinema and Disney HotStar merger, buys ‘JioHotstar’ domain
A Delhi-based predicted the merger of Reliance JioCinema and Disney HotStar and bought the JioHotStar domain. Now, he is requesting the company to fund his higher studies in exchange for him giving up the domain. He has addressed the company executives regarding this matter in a letter.
However, it seems Reliance has denied the request. Moreover, it seems the company plans to proceed with legal actions for infringing on its trademark. Despite this, he hopes the company will consider his kind request.
According to the post, the developer wanted to secure funds for his studies at the Cambridge. So, he requested 93,345 pounds (around Rs 1 crore) from the company.
A picture of the letter was posted on social media platform X by a user named ‘pea bee’. The app developer, who prefers to remain anonymous signed off with the name “dreamer”. “Someone bought the JioHotstar domain (before the merger) and wants Reliance to fund their higher studies from domain sale. Really hope they can get a good payout from this.
The letter says, “My intention of buying this domain was simple: if this merger happens, I might be able to fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge.” He said he came upon a social media post regarding Disney+ Hotstar losing subscribers and could sought a merger with a company. So, he utilized his brain and consider all possibilites. At that time Sony and Zee were pursuing their own merger, only Viacom 18, which is owned by Reliance. So, he thought only Viacom 18 has the potential to acquire Disney+ Hotstar. So, he thought the company might rename it to JioHotstar.com like JioSaavn.com.
“This led me to hypothesise 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,” he wrote in a blogpost posted on JioHotstar.com.
He added about his studies and wrote that, “In 2021, I was working on a project that was selected for the Cambridge University Accelerate program. It was a transformational experience for me,” he wrote. “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.”
This comes ahead of potential merger of Reliance owned JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. Reliance-Disney media company may come in November
The merger between Reliance Industries Limited’s (RIL) Viacom18 and Walt Disney’s Star India is reportedly set to be officially concluded in early November after securing regulatory approvals in India. It is expected to create India’s biggest and the most powerful media and entertainment conglomerate valued at $8.5 billion. As part of the merger deal, Viacom18 will transfer its assets to Star India, which will be the operating company post the merger.
The merger, announced on February 28, has been completed in a record eight months, securing approvals from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), and the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB). The CCI granted conditional approval.
