Reliance's Viacom18 acquires Jiohotstar.com website domain: Report

The jiohotstar.com domain was first registered by a Delhi-based engineer who asked Reliance to fund his Cambridge education in exchange, which Reliance refused

Reliance's subsidiary Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd now owns the jiohotstar.com website domain which puts to end months of legal and commercial disputes, according to a Business Standard report.

At the moment, Manish Painuly, senior director at Viacom18, is listed as the registrant and administrative contact for the domain, according to the latest WHOIS records.

At the moment, Manish Painuly, senior director at Viacom18, is listed as the registrant and administrative contact for the domain, according to the report which cited the latest WHOIS records.

WHOIS is an internet protocol that can be used to dig into databases and find a website's users or assignees.

Painuly is a senior director at Viacom18 who has been there for more than 16 years and at the moment, works with digital transformation, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The domain is registered under Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd, which is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, the report read.

History of the jiohotstar.com domain dispute

The jiohotstar.com domain was first registered by a Delhi-based engineer who asked Reliance to fund his education at Cambridge University in exchange for it.

The domain registration happened when Reliance Jio and Disney+ Hotstar were in talks of a potential merger.

After Reliance refused, he sold the domain to Dubai-based siblings Jainam and Jivika. They transferred the domain to Reliance free of cost, calling the entire ordeal an act of "Seva" and denying any payment or pressure from the conglomerate.

Viacom18 operates channels like Colors, MTV India, Nickelodeon, and VH1, with its digital arm being JioCinema which has gained significant traction after signing a deal to become the official IPL digital streaming partner.

The company is a joint venture between Reliance Industries' TV18 and Paramount Global (formerly known as ViacomCBS), offering content across television, digital platforms, and film production.