Justin Connolly Exits Disney to Join YouTube as Global Head of Media and Sports

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Following over two decades with Disney and ESPN, Justin Connolly has decided to leave the Disney realm and venture into YouTube, taking on an entirely new position as the global head of media and sports, according to verified reports by EbMaster.

Lately, I’ve been serving as the president of Disney Platform Distribution, where my responsibilities include managing all third-party sales efforts related to distribution strategy, affiliate marketing, and business operations for our direct-to-consumer services like Disney+, as well as our linear media networks. I was also in charge of negotiating content sales agreements across general entertainment, studios, and sports for The House of Mouse.

In response, Disney took legal action against YouTube in a California court due to Connolly’s employment, claiming breach of contract, interference in a contractual relationship, and unfair competition. As stated in the Disney lawsuit filed on May 21st, Connolly had signed a three-year contract in November 2024; Disney is seeking an injunction to prevent Connolly from joining YouTube. YouTube has chosen not to comment on this legal matter. Initially reported by Bloomberg, YouTube hired Connolly and subsequently faced the Disney lawsuit.

As a devoted admirer, I’m thrilled to share that at YouTube, I’ll be managing relationships with significant media giants, like Disney, and sports leagues for our video platform. This role involves striking distribution agreements for YouTube TV, which, with over 8 million subscribers, stands as the largest U.S. internet-based subscription television service.

YouTube is broadening its purchase of exclusive sports contracts. It recently signed a seven-year agreement with the NFL, making it the U.S. host of the Sunday Ticket package starting from the 2023-24 season. The Sunday Ticket offers access to all out-of-market Sunday regular season NFL games (based on the viewer’s location) that are usually aired on CBS and Fox. Last week, YouTube extended this NFL deal to stream the first Friday game of the 2025-26 football season, which will take place in São Paolo, Brazil, for free worldwide (excluding Canada and a few other countries).

It was internally announced on Thursday by YouTube’s Chief Business Officer, Mary Ellen Coe, that they had hired Connolly.

At Disney, for the time being, Sean Breen (executive VP of platform distribution) and Jimmy Zasowski (executive VP of platform distribution strategy) are stepping in to perform Connolly’s responsibilities.

OR

In Disney, Sean Breen, executive VP of platform distribution, along with Jimmy Zasowski, executive VP of platform distribution strategy, have temporarily assumed Connolly’s duties.

OR

At Disney, Connolly’s tasks are being handled on an interim basis by Sean Breen and Jimmy Zasowski who are both executives in the platform distribution department.

Initially, Connolly began working at ESPN back in 2003, taking on roles such as director for ESPN Strategy and Operations, and Vice President for Distribution Strategy. In the year 2015, Connolly was appointed as the head of Disney & ESPN Affiliate Sales and Marketing. Later, in June 2017, he also assumed responsibility for overseeing ESPN’s strategy and business development teams.

Before moving to ESPN, Connolly was part of Disney’s corporate finance team in Burbank. Originally from Boston, Connolly earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

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2025-05-23 01:36