Viacom18 secures ownership of JioHotstar.com after domain dispute

The domain name jiohotstar.com, now associated with the merged entities Reliance Jio and Disney Hotstar, is officially owned by Viacom18 Media, a company controlled by Mukesh Ambani. This marks the conclusion of ownership disputes that previously involved a Delhi-based app developer and Dubai-based siblings. 

WHOIS records confirm that the domain was registered by Viacom18 on September 20, 2023, with a registration validity extending until September 20, 2026. The latest update on the domain was recorded on December 2, 2024. Manish Painuly, representing Viacom18, is listed as the registrant, as well as the administrative and technical contact for the site.

As indicated by the updated WHOIS records for jiohotstar.com, Manish Painuly of Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. is listed as the registrant, administrative, and technical contact. According to his LinkedIn profile, Painuly holds the position of Senior Director in Digital Transformation, Business Intelligence, and Web/Enterprise Apps at Viacom18. He has been with the company for over 16 years.

This comes after the merger of Viacom18, Reliance Industries, and The Walt Disney Company, which was announced on November 14. The deal, valued at Rs 70,352 crore, integrated Viacom18's media business with Star India, bringing JioCinema under the same umbrella as Disney+ Hotstar.

Before the finalisation of the merger, the domain jiohotstar.com became a topic of contention. Initially claimed by a Delhi-based developer, the domain was later acquired by Dubai-based siblings Jainam and Jivika. They had offered the domain to Reliance Industries without any expectation of profit, saying they wanted to support the merger. Despite receiving lucrative offers, they chose not to sell the domain.