Jiohotstar.com seems to have officially been transferred to Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. The latest Whois record shows that the domain is registered under the name of Mukesh Amabani-owned Viacom18 Media Pvt.Ltd. The website shows that the domain was registered on September 20, 2024 and is valid till September 20, 2026, with the last update recorded on December 2, 2024.
The WHOis records for jiohotstar.com now list Manish Painuly as the registrant, administrative, and technical contact for the domain, representing Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. This confirms Viacom18’s full control over the domain following the recent transfer, finalizing Reliance’s ownership. This marks the resolution of an extended period of shifting ownership and the involvement of several stakeholders.
A screenshot of WHOis records
Delhi-to-Dubai drama of who owns Jiohotstar.com
The ownership of jiohotstar.com has been a point of conte ntion due to its connection with two of India’s largest brands, Reliance Jio and Disney+ Hotstar. It was originally owned by a Delhi-based engineer who later transferred the domain to two Dubai-based siblings.
Also read: How JioHotstar domain went from Delhi techie to Dubai siblings
The engineer then had claimed there was no malicious intent behind the registration but was unable to retain the domain due to rising legal and commercial pressures. The involvement of the Dubai siblings further complicated matters, creating a lengthy dispute over control of the domain.
Who is Manish Painuly
As mentioned above, WHOis records for jiohotstar.com now list Manish Painuly of Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. as the registrant, administrative, and technical contact. As per his LinkedIn profile, Manish Painuly is a Senior Director – Digital Transformation | Business Intelligence | Web/Enterprise Apps at Viacom18 Media Private Limited. He has been with the company for over 16 years.
“Enthusiastic, performance-driven self-starter, and team player. Experience in building and managing product’s online presence, including VOOT and other 40 + odd brands. Product planning, development, management, and strategy are the strengths. Demonstrated capabilities in managing stakeholder relationships and leading cross-functional teams aligned with business growth. Specialties: project management, vendor management, information security, IT cost management, and service or solution creation,” reads his LinkedIn bio.
