JioHotstar domain ‘goes’ to Dubai; new owners “welcome” everyone to their journey of Seva – Times of India

Visitors to JioHotstar’s domain are now greeted by a story of Dubai siblings, Jainam and Jivika, who embarked on a mission to teach disadvantaged children in India. The domain was previously claimed to be bought by a Delhi app developer.

In an unexpected turn of events, visitors to the JioHotstar domain (https://jiohotstar.com/) are now being redirected to a webpage featuring the story of two siblings from the United Arab Emirates who run an educational initiative for disadvantaged children. The website now reads “Hello! We are Jainam and Jivika – siblings from Dubai, UAE, on a mission to make a difference. Even though we’re just kids, we believe that age is only a number when it comes to spreading kindness and positivity. Our recent journey began during our summer holidays when we left our home in Dubai for 50 unforgettable days in India.”
This comes after a Delhi-based app developer claimed to have purchased the domain earlier this week. The developer posted a letter on https://jiohotstar.com – asking the company to fund his higher studies in exchange for him giving up the domain. “My intention of buying this domain was simple: if this merger happens, I might be able to fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge,” said the app developer.
Times of India Tech checked the URL which now shows a letter from the Dubai siblings along with YouTube videos depicting their work.

Here’s what the website reads

Welcome to Our Journey of Seva
Hello! We are Jainam and Jivika – siblings from Dubai, UAE, on a mission to make a difference. Even though we’re just kids, we believe that age is only a number when it comes to spreading kindness and positivity. Our recent journey began during our summer holidays when we left our home in Dubai for 50 unforgettable days in India. We had a purpose: to connect with children from various backgrounds, share our love for learning, teach skills for studying and setting goals, and inspire them to dream big.
Throughout our journey, we were met with inspiring moments and new friendships. We taught kids not only about studying but also about having the courage to set ambitious goals. Together, we laughed, learned, and grew, creating memories that we’ll treasure forever. This website is our way of sharing those memories with you – through photos, videos, and stories from our Seva journey. We hope it brings you closer to the incredible kids we met and encourages you to spread kindness in your own special way.
Along the way, people showed their appreciation through gifts, blessings, and even small donations, which we collected over our travels. When we returned to Dubai, we used a portion of this collection to support a young software developer from Delhi by purchasing this domain for his benefit. Through sharing our journey here, we aim to inspire others and keep the domain open for future sale to anyone who wants to continue this positive mission.
And one more thing – we love taking on new challenges! Make sure to watch our videos where we’ve shared some of these fun challenges, and we hope they inspire you to try something new too.
Thank you for being a part of our journey!
Best Regards,
Jainam & Jivika

Here’s the previous letter that appeared on the domain webpage

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-ll 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 l’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.

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.