The merger between Reliance Jio's Viacom18 and Star India Private Limited is expected to wrap up this week. Ahead of the merger, a new website has appeared, which may be the future home of a new streaming service created from the combination of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar—both popular platforms in India. Interestingly, this website is using a different internet address than what many people had anticipated, leading to discussions on social media lately.
New domain name after merger
The new streaming service is rumoured to be named Jio Star, and its website can be found at jiostar.com. It is expected to start offering its streaming services to users on November 14, just a day after the merger is likely to be announced. Although the site is live, it currently only displays a "Coming Soon" message, suggesting that once it launches, viewers will be able to access content from both JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar in one place.
However, all live sporting events, including the much-loved Indian Premier League (IPL), are said to still be available only on Disney+ Hotstar. Earlier speculations suggested that JioCinema might be merged into Disney+ Hotstar due to the latter's better technology.
JioHotstar
Originally, many thought the new streaming service would be called JioHotstar, and a developer in Delhi even bought that domain, hoping to negotiate a payment from the companies for it. This led to some lively conversations online. After some time, two people from Dubai purchased the domain, but recently, they announced they would give it to Reliance Jio for free.
Despite this twist, the new Jio Star website shows that the streaming service may have chosen a different domain altogether.
In other news, the telecommunications regulator in India, called TRAI, is expected to complete its recommendations for new rules regarding satellite communications by December 15. This is a significant move because it will assist the government in figuring out how to distribute the airwaves necessary for satellite companies to provide internet services from space. This development could lead to improved satellite-based internet access across the country.
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