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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 as well as global theatrical film distribution and the Disney Music Group.
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’s hiring of Connolly was announced internally in a memo Thursday from chief business officer Mary Ellen Coe, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. A rep for Disney did not respond to a request for comment about Connolly’s move.
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.
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