YouTube Scores Early Win Over Disney in Fight About Exec

Round 1 in the Disney-YouTube legal battle involving top executive Justin Connolly clearly goes to the Google-owned streamer. 

About two weeks after Disney, the ESPN parent company, filed a lawsuit in California challenging Connolly’s intent to leave and join YouTube as global head of media and sports, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied Disney’s bid for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction blocking the executive’s move. Additionally, Judge James Chalfant wrote that he denied the order Disney sought in part because the “plaintiff has not demonstrated a probability of success on the merits.”

Chalfant also cited “lack of showing of emergency” and a “balance of harms” still tilting toward Connolly and not Disney. 

That means that, at least for now, Connolly can continue working at the streamer. There, he will look to expand a sports profile that already includes residential distribution rights for NFL Sunday Ticket and a recent deal to carry the league’s return to Brazil on Sept. 5 with the Chiefs and Chargers.

Disney said in a statement that it was “disappointed” in the initial ruling “but will continue to pursue our legal remedies.” The company had claimed Connolly signed a three-year employment agreement last November covering all of 2025–27, with a one-time termination right becoming effective March 1, 2027, and had raised claims of breach of contract, tortious interference of contractual relations, and unfair competition. 

YouTube TV has a soon-expiring carriage deal with Disney, but YouTube has said in legal filings that it has told Disney that Connolly will not be involved in the renegotiation efforts.