Whoa, whoa, WHOA! We did not see that coming! In fact, no one saw that coming, to be honest. M. Night Shyamalan may have lost his touch for delivering mind-bending twists, an ability that made him a global sensation in the early 2000s. Well, he could definitely learn a thing or two from the ongoing twisty drama with jiohotstar.com. The saga surrounding the JioHotstar domain name has taken a highly dramatic, unexpected (and laughable!) twist.
This may be hard to digest, but the new owners of the controversial jiohotstar.com domain are two young UAE-based siblings, Jivika and Jainam. Originally owned by a Delhi-based developer who sought ₹1 crore from Reliance Industries, the domain’s ownership has now shifted to these siblings. The developer cited rising public attention and family pressures as the main reasons for stepping away from the domain. He had hoped to use the money to study at Cambridge University.
Describing himself as a visionary, the developer shared his intentions but acknowledged the lack of a formal response from Reliance and his hesitation to initiate legal proceedings. He also mentioned that family pressure played a significant role in his decision-making.
The developer came into the limelight earlier this week after revealing that he had acquired the JioHotstar domain in 2023, in the wake of the anticipated merger between Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema. This situation prompted him to offer the domain to Reliance Industries for ₹1 crore. But things quickly fell apart after Reliance threatened him with legal action for alleged copyright infringement.
If you visit the domain now, you will find the sentence “Welcome to Our Journey of Seva” on the homepage, along with a brief description of Jainam and Jivika, the sibling duo who now owns the domain. The message describes the journey of the siblings and emphasises their focus on sharing kindness and learning through a Seva project.
Most importantly, the description explains how the siblings came to own the domain: “When we returned to Dubai, we used a portion of our collection to support a young software developer from Delhi by purchasing this domain for his benefit.”
The aftermath of this incident raises questions about Reliance’s next move. Will they initiate legal proceedings again, or will they choose to let the new mission unfold without interference? Stay tuned for more updates.