Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey have been ousted from Disney’s board of directors as increasing competition between their companies sparked a conflict of interest.

Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer and former Google executive and Dorsey, who founded and still runs Twitter, will not run for re-election at Disney’s annual meeting on March 8, according to a Disney filing.

"Given our evolving business and the businesses Ms. Sandberg and Mr. Dorsey are in, it has become increasingly difficult for them to avoid conflicts relating to board matters," Disney said in a statement.

The move signals the expansion to come from the social media companies, as well as Disney’s plans to become an online media player heavyweight. Both Twitter and Facebook have won the rights to stream live sporting events, making moves into ground previously held by Disney and its ESPN network in the US. Facebook is upping its video after it was pinpointed as a lucrative way to grow its advertising business, bringing in $10.1bn in 2017.

Twitter last year announced partnerships with a number of media companies including some Disney competitors. In 2015, Disney tried to buy Twitter, Dorsey’s company.

Jack Dorsey is co-founder and chief executive of Twitter

Emerging technology has been an influence at Disney, and Steve Jobs was a board member up until his death in 2011. Disney. In August last year, the company made a shock move to pull its films from streaming site Netflix, wih the intention to bring out a rival on-demand streaming service.

Disney will also wave goodbye to Orin Smith, 75, and Robert Matschullat, 70, because of term and age limits for board members.