Disney sues YouTube for hiring its sports executive Justin Connolly

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

YouTube is making major moves in live sports, and its latest decision has sparked a legal clash with Disney. 

As YouTube prepares to stream a major NFL game for free on September 5th, marking the opening of the season, it has hired Justin Connolly, a longtime Disney and ESPN executive, to lead its global media and sports efforts.

Connolly spent over 20 years at Disney, most recently overseeing its streaming services and traditional TV networks. 

Now at YouTube, he’ll manage relationships with media companies, handle live sports coverage, and help grow YouTube TV, which already has over 8 million subscribers and now includes the NFL Sunday Ticket.

However, Disney is not pleased with this move. They’ve filed a lawsuit in California against both YouTube and Connolly. (Via: The Verge) 

According to the lawsuit, Connolly was in the middle of leading Disney’s team in negotiations with YouTube for renewing the license to show Disney content. 

Disney claims that YouTube “poached” Connolly, who had signed a three-year contract with Disney in January 2024 that was supposed to last until March 2027.

Disney argues that Connolly has deep insider knowledge of their business strategies, contract terms, and negotiation tactics, especially those related to YouTube. 

By switching sides during active negotiations, they say he could seriously hurt Disney’s bargaining position.

This move comes just as Disney is preparing to launch its new standalone ESPN streaming service later this year, a major step in its digital transformation.

The legal fight highlights the growing importance of live sports in the streaming world. YouTube, Amazon, Apple, and Netflix are all racing to grab sports rights to draw viewers. 

Amazon will start airing NBA games next season, Apple is partnering with MLB and MLS, and Netflix has begun broadcasting NFL-related content and other live events.

With live sports becoming a key battleground, platforms are fiercely competing for talent and content, sometimes leading to legal fireworks like this one.

What do you think about this lawsuit? Do you think this is unlawful poaching or do you think the lawsuit will be dropped or settled? Let’s talk about this below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.