Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is consolidating its grip on the streaming market by aligning Disney+ Hotstar as its primary streaming platform, following the merger of Star India and Viacom18. JioCinema, another Reliance entity, is expected to be absorbed into the combined entity, with Disney+ Hotstar emerging as the sole brand post-merger.

While official confirmation is still awaited, sources have indicated that Reliance has already briefed employees at both JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. The Economic Times reported that Reliance’s leadership opted for Disney+ Hotstar due to its superior technology. The $8.5 billion merger received all necessary approvals, solidifying the conglomerate’s entertainment ambitions.

Yet, amid the merger buzz, one quirky detail has caught everyone’s attention—a young entrepreneur from Delhi bought the “JioHotstar.com” domain, predicting the merger months in advance, and now hopes to sell it to fund his education at Cambridge University.

On the domain’s homepage, the self-proclaimed “dreamer” explains his clever strategy. Inspired by Jio’s rebranding of Saavn to JioSaavn after its acquisition, he anticipated a similar move if Reliance took over Hotstar. He bought the domain early in 2023, hypothesising that Reliance might call the combined service “JioHotstar” post-merger.

His ultimate goal? Selling the domain to make his dream of studying at Cambridge a reality.

The entrepreneur shares that he previously participated in Cambridge’s Accelerate startup programme in 2021, which gave him valuable insights into entrepreneurship. However, he has always wanted to pursue a full degree in entrepreneurship at Cambridge but lacked the financial means to do so. With the merger now a reality, the dreamer believes the “JioHotstar” domain could hold value for Reliance, offering them a seamless branding opportunity while also funding his aspirations.

He has issued an open invitation to Reliance, asking the company to contact him through an official email if they wish to acquire the domain. “For a multi-billion-dollar company like Reliance, this is a minor expense, but for me, it would be life-changing,” the entrepreneur pleads in his note.

As Reliance charts its path forward in the entertainment space, it remains to be seen if they respond to this unusual proposal. Whether they acquire the domain or not, one thing is certain—the dreamer has taken a bold step, proving that a mix of foresight, wit, and ambition can sometimes turn an ordinary domain name into a potential life-changing opportunity.

Here’s what the ‘Dreamer’ wrote:

“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-II 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 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 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.”