JAKARTA - Walt Disney is trying to stop YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet, which recently announced Justin Connolly's appointment as Head of Global Media and Sports.
Disney filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles state court on Wednesday, May 21 to stop the appointment, on charges of contract infringement, unfair competition, and interference with contractual ties.
Disney claims that YouTube is aware of a Connolly work agreement requiring him to work on Disney until at least March 1, 2027. Connolly signed a new three-year contract in November 2024 which gave him the one-time right to terminate the contract before March 2027.
Disney asked the court to issue a temporary and permanent order for Connolly not to violate further contracts. YouTube has not commented on media requests.
Connolly will manage the relationship between the platform and major media companies as well as lead a live sports portfolio that is developing on YouTube, according to sources familiar with the matter.
YouTube has been aggressively pursuing live sports broadcasting rights in recent years, competing with Netflix and Amazon, to take advantage of large user bases and massive sports enthusiasts.
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In 2022, YouTube signed a $14 billion NFL streaming deal allowing them to air big football games, while Amazon and other media companies are also scrambling to get big sports broadcasting rights.
In addition to sharing traditional videos, YouTube is also expanding its wings to live TV, music, and podcast services, as well as generating billions of dollars from advertising revenue through huge content.
Connolly has spent more than two decades on ESPN and Disney, and has just left his position as Head of Platform Distribution earlier this week, as Disney prepares to launch the ESPN sports streaming service.
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