No proposal from RIL, says techie who is ready to sell JioHotstar domain

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The anonymous techie, who has registered the JioHotstar domain, is willing to sell it to Reliance Industries at one-tenth of the original asking price but is yet to receive any proposal from billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate.

The Delhi-based app developer -- who has been grabbing social media attention for his unique demand to fund his higher studies by selling the JioHotstar domain, following the merger deal of media assets of Reliance and India business of Walt Disney -- wants to avoid a legal battle with the corporate giant and hopes that a compassionate stand would be taken.

In a response to PTI query on mail @Jiohotstar, the ID mentioned on the viral post, the anonymous techie said: "I haven't received any reply and proposal from reliance".

"I don't think they intend to pay in my case as well. I would be extremely happy if they do," he said in the reply.

Several legal experts have contended that he has a "winnable case" and there is a fair chance that there can be even bigger compensation.

However, he also admitted that it's about going into a legal battle with an army of lawyers, especially in countries like India, where a legal fight is itself a punishment.

"Domain is available for anyone to buy now. I hope Reliance take a compassionate stand and at least buy it for 1/10th the original ask," he said.

PTI has reached out to Reliance for their statement on the development, and their reply is awaited.

The techie, who signed his name as "A dreamer", had put a 6-para long message on the page of the domain, addressing executives of RIL, and asked billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led group to fund his higher studies in Cambridge in exchange for the Jiohotstar.com.

In 2021, he worked on a project that was selected for the Cambridge University Accelerate programme. This was a transformational experience for him.

He could not crack IIT and always wanted to learn from the best coming from a Tier-II college.

"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 fulfil my dream of studying at Cambridge," the message said.

In early 2023, while scrolling through social media, he came across a news stating that the OTT platform 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 hypothesise that, since Sony and Zee were pursuing their own merger, Viacom 18 (owned by Reliance) was 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," the message said.

Now that the merger has happened, news sources are confirming that 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," he said while leaving a mail to reach him through an "email address with an official letter attached, stating your authorisation 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," he added.

Later in another message after removing the earlier one, he thanked to the "People of the Internet", and expressed his sincere gratitude to the lawyers who generously offered their time and guidance pro bono.

"From the Honourable Supreme Court and High Court to legal minds in Cambridge, London, California, Texas, and surprisingly even Berlin - I'm still amazed how this reached German lawyers. Your support means a lot to me," he said.

His parents read the news, and they are "super super worried", he added.