Meet the man who beat Reliance to JioHotstar.com, and wants Rs 1 crore for it

As the merger between JioCinema and Hotstar moves forward, a surprising obstacle appeared in the form of the domain name JioHotstar.com. An anonymous app developer had already secured the domain, sparking an interesting standoff. This 28-year-old entrepreneur from Delhi is now demanding over ₹1 crore (around £93,345) for the domain, intending to use the money to fund an executive MBA at Cambridge University.

In an interview with India Today's Fact Check team, the developer shared his story, revealing how he foresaw the merger and secured the domain before Reliance could act. Read the interview here.

A middle-class dreamer from Delhi
The app developer, who wishes to remain anonymous for now, describes himself as a regular middle-class guy with big ambitions. Coming from a family with a government-employed father and a homemaker mother, his background is relatable to many Indians. He created a startup focused on film recommendation algorithms but faced financial constraints in scaling it up. Despite the challenges, he's hopeful about securing funds for his MBA dream.

Interestingly, this entrepreneur has already had a brief stint with Cambridge University. Selected for a short-term programme at the prestigious institution, he completed it online during the pandemic. But he hopes to return for a full-fledged executive MBA course—financed, ideally, by selling the JioHotstar.com domain.

Anticipating the merger
So how did this developer manage to secure the domain ahead of one of India's largest conglomerates? He says it was a mix of foresight and luck. Back in September 2023, rumours of a merger between JioCinema and Hotstar were swirling. Trusting his gut, he registered the domain for less than ₹5,000, betting on the chance that it would become valuable as the merger progressed.

Going public after Reliance's silence
Initially, the developer tried contacting Reliance directly. After sending emails to multiple senior executives and receiving no response, he went public with a letter on the JioHotstar.com site, asking for the ₹1 crore to fund his MBA. While Reliance did eventually reach out, they reportedly only offered him a refund for his registration costs and warned of potential legal action.

Despite this, he remains optimistic, hoping Reliance will consider his request. He argues that the amount he’s asking for is insignificant compared to the company’s vast resources.

Security concerns and legal help
The developer admits to feeling stressed by the situation, facing multiple attempts to hack his account and reset the domain's password. While legal experts, including some from the Supreme Court and Cambridge, have offered to help him pro bono, he is reluctant to take on Reliance in court.

“I don’t want to enter a legal battle against the Ambanis. I know my limits,” he says, acknowledging the power imbalance.