An app developer from Delhi has purchased the domain jiohotstar.com, anticipating the merger between Reliance’s Viacom18 and Disney+ Hotstar. The developer, a startup founder, aims to sell the domain to Reliance, hoping it will fund their dream of studying at Cambridge University.
The merger between Star India (Disney+ Hotstar’s operator) and Viacom18 (owned by Reliance Industries) was cleared earlier this year by regulatory authorities, including the Competition Commission of India and the National Company Law Tribunal. It is expected to consolidate both streaming platforms under one brand.
On the website jiohotstar.com, the developer has penned an open letter to Reliance, sharing how they saw the potential in the domain name while reading news about Hotstar’s possible sale. The developer believes “JioHotstar” would be a perfect brand name for the merged entity and hopes Reliance will negotiate a purchase.
"I thought, ‘If they acquire Hotstar, they might rename it to JioHotstar.com,’" the developer wrote, explaining their rationale. They hope to use the proceeds from selling the domain to fund their Cambridge University studies.
Domain parking, where individuals purchase domain names in hopes of profiting from future sales, is a common speculative practice. Whether Reliance will engage with the developer over this branding opportunity remains to be seen as the merger progresses.
The $8.5 billion merger between Reliance and Walt Disney aims to combine the content of both Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema under a single platform, fueling curiosity about which brand will emerge post-merger.
