Ambani’s Viacom 18 Finally Gets JioHotstar.com Domain From Dubai Kids - Here’s Interesting Backstory

Mukesh Ambani’s Viacom 18 finally acquired the JioHotstar.com website domain from Dubai-based siblings Jainam and Jivika with the domain now belonging to Manish Painuly, senior director at Viacom18, according to open source data available on WHOIs Lookup. 

Image credit: Whois.com

According to the records, the domain now belongs to Viacom 18 Media Pvt Limited with the address registered from its Parle East Office in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Manish Painuly, a senior director at Viacom18, has been with the company for over 16 years. As per his LinkedIn profile, Painuly plays a key role in driving Viacom18’s digital transformation. He has overseen the management of the company’s digital products, including VOOT, drawing on his expertise in web strategy, project management, and IT cost optimisation.

Interesting Backstory of JioHotstar.com Website Domain

A Delhi-based engineer initially registered the domain jiohotstar.com and sought funding from Reliance for his education at Cambridge University in exchange for the domain. The registration occurred amid discussions of a potential merger between Reliance Jio and Disney+ Hotstar.

After Reliance declined the proposal, the domain was sold to Dubai-based siblings Jainam and Jivika, who later transferred it to Reliance free of charge. They described the gesture as an act of "Seva" and denied receiving any payment or facing pressure from the conglomerate.

Reliance’s Viacom18 operates several popular channels, including Colors, MTV India, Nickelodeon, and VH1, with its digital platform JioCinema gaining substantial momentum as the official digital streaming partner for the IPL. Viacom18, a joint venture between Reliance Industries' TV18 and Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS), provides a wide range of content across television, digital platforms, and film production.