The Jiohotstar domain controversy has become a trending topic of discussion recently all over the world. It centers on a domain name, JioHotstar.com, which has drawn interest as a potential match for the Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema combined platform.
The whole drama started with the domain, initially owned by a Delhi-based anonymous app developer, brought by Dubai-based siblings instead of Reliance. Initially, siblings were hesitant to give the domain to Reliance. But now there is a twist in the story. Reportedly, Dubai-based siblings are now ready to give up the domain for free.
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Dubai-based siblings ready to give up Jiohotstar Domain without charging any cost
Since the Jiohotstar domain controversy began, Dubai-based siblings Jianam and Jivika have been the center of attention. Since they are the present owners of the domain, many people tried to lure them to buy it. However, they recently disclosed that they wanted to give it Reliance despite receiving pretty good offers.
Recently, Jainam and Jivika used their platform to clear up any misunderstandings following recent inquiries on the domain’s future and its relationship to a potential Jio-Hotstar merger. They wrote,
Recently, we received many emails from people wanting to buy the domain. To check if these offers were real, we reached out to some of them. We found that while some offers were fake, a few were serious and offered a lot of money. But even with these genuine offers, we never wanted to sell the domain. We made this clear by replying to everyone that the domain was not for sale.
The siblings revealed that they got overwhelmed because of the attention they received due to the domain. They also clarified that they do not want any controversy and are just doing ‘seva.’ The siblings wrote,
Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of talk and even some videos about why we own the domain and if it connects to a possible business deal between Jio and Hotstar. We want to clear up any confusion: we never expected this attention and never meant to cause any controversy. Our only goal was to support the developer and share our seva (service) journey.
Furthermore, the siblings added that they are giving their domain to Reliance for free. They said that, to do this, neither Reliance contacted nor someone pressured them to do this. They wrote,
“With all the discussions happening, we now think it might be best for Team Reliance to have this domain, if they want it. We are happy to give jiohotstar.com to them for free, with all the proper paperwork. To be clear, this is entirely our choice. No one from Reliance or any legal group has contacted us or pressured us in any way. We made this decision on our own, without any pressure from friends, family, or anyone else.”
In order to expedite the process, Jivika and Jainam have directly invited Reliance to contact them via their email accounts. They wrote,
“If Reliance is interested, they can contact us at [email protected] or [email protected], and we will handle the transfer smoothly. If they are not interested, that’s okay too. We will continue to share updates about our journey and work.”
In an eloquent and purposeful statement, the siblings turned their attention to their ongoing humanitarian platform, SevakArmy.com, which they hope will help mobilize volunteers worldwide.
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Have a look at the whole statement
How did this whole controversy start?
A Delhi-based anonymous app developer first registered the Jiohotstar named domain in 2023 after recognizing its potential for Reliance’s soon-to-be combined streaming business. According to reports, he requested more than ₹1 crore from Reliance to purchase the domain. He claimed that he required the money for an executive MBA at Cambridge University.
Soon the developer asserted that Reliance filed a lawsuit against him and rejected his offer. However, when the domain’s ownership passed to two siblings in Dubai, Jivika (10), and Jainam (13) the story took an unexpected turn. Introducing themselves as the domain’s purchasers, these youthful proprietors established a new landing page stating that they purchased the name in order to “support a young software developer from Delhi.”
Now that they are ready to give up the domain, people are expecting this whole controversy to be erased silently.
What do you think about this whole controversy? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.
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