Dubai-based siblings offer JioHotstar domain to Reliance for free

The young duo had purchased the domain from a software developer in Delhi in a move to support his education

Published: Mon 18 Nov 2024, 1:30 PM

Updated: Mon 18 Nov 2024, 8:07 PM

By
Web Desk

A Dubai-based sibling duo have agreed to give a domain they bought to Reliance for free.

Jainam (13) and Jivika (10), who are residents of the UAE, had purchased JioHotstar domain from a young software developer from Delhi, in a move to support him with his education. Now, the siblings have decided to offer it to Reliance for free.

This comes after the Indian conglomerate made a previous demand of Rs10 million to the siblings to buy the domain from them.

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How did the UAE-based Indian kids come to acquire the major domain? It all began in 2017 when the two started a YouTube channel where they would share unboxing videos along with science-related content. They soon shifted their focus to podcasts and interviewing influential personalities.

The duo became an inspiration for other kids as they decided to connect with children from various backgrounds during one summer vacation and spread the gift of learning, teaching, goal setting and dreaming big. They also participate in charitable and voluntary activities.

During their travels, they were given donations among other modes of appreciation, from which they used a small portion to buy the JioHotstar domain from the Delhi-based developer. At the time, the two had kept the domain open for anyone willing to purchase it.

Rumours around the offering

The young duo started receiving countless emails from individuals willing to buy the domain. After reaching out to them, they discovered that some of these were fake whereas others were offering large sums of money to buy the domain.

"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," said the siblings in a statement online.

The two shared they had purchased the domain just to support the software developer and shared the story with the world to share their journey of 'seva' (service).

"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," said the kids.

"If Reliance is interested, they can contact us 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," added the young entrepreneurs.

Why reliance wants the domain

The domain was created by the software developer amid speculation of a potential merger between Reliance Jio and Disney Hotstar.

When the merger was finally announced, Reliance asked the developer for the domain which he said he would give in return for funding of his education at Cambridge. However, he was refused by the company. The developer then sold the domain to the siblings.

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