After more than two decades at Disney and ESPN, Justin Connolly has departed the Magic Kingdom to join YouTube in a newly created role as global head of media and sports, Variety has confirmed.
Connolly most recently was president of Disney Platform Distribution, overseeing all third-party media sales efforts for distribution, distribution strategy, affiliate marketing and affiliate-related business operations — spanning all of Disney’s direct-to-consumer services including Disney+, and linear media networks. He also led Disney’s content sales agreements for general entertainment, studios and sports.
In response, Disney sued YouTube in California state court over Connolly’s hiring, alleging breach of contract, interference in a contractual relationship and “unfair competition.” According to the Disney lawsuit, filed Thursday, Connolly had signed a three-year contract in November 2024 — which his move to YouTube allegedly violates; Disney is seeking an injunction to block Connolly’s hiring. YouTube declined to comment the Disney suit. Bloomberg first reported YouTube’s hiring of Connolly and the Disney lawsuit.
At YouTube, Connolly will oversee partnerships with major media companies (including Disney) and sports leagues for the video platform. That will encompass distribution deals for YouTube TV, which with more than 8 million subscribers is the largest U.S. internet-delivered subscription television service.
YouTube has been expanding its acquisition of exclusive sports rights. It inked a seven-year deal with the NFL to become the U.S. home of the Sunday Ticket package starting with the 2023-24 season. Sunday Ticket includes access to all out-of-market Sunday regular season NFL games (based on a viewer’s location) broadcast on CBS and Fox. Last week, YouTube announced an extension of the NFL pact to exclusively stream the first Friday game of the 2025-26 football season, to be played in São Paolo, Brazil, for free worldwide (with the exception of Canada and a few other countries).
YouTube’s hiring of Connolly was announced internally in a memo Thursday from chief business officer Mary Ellen Coe.
At Disney, taking over Connolly’s duties on an interim basis are Sean Breen, executive VP of platform distribution, and Jimmy Zasowski, executive VP of platform distribution strategy.
Connolly originally joined ESPN in 2003 and served in various capacities including director of ESPN strategy and operations and VP, distribution strategy. Connolly was named head of Disney & ESPN Affiliate Sales and Marketing in 2015 and in June 2017 added oversight of ESPN’s strategy and business development teams.
Prior to joining ESPN, Connolly worked in Disney’s corporate finance group in Burbank. The Boston native holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
