Yahoo executive David Katz, in charge of the Internet company’s sports and entertainment content, stepped down last week after conflicts with Yahoo’s entertainment chief Lloyd Braun, Variety reported yesterday.

The trade newspaper also said that the partnership between Yahoo and cable network Current TV was recently nixed as part of the changes taking place at Yahoo as the most-visited group of Web sites struggles to remain competitive with companies including Google, YouTube and MySpace.

In confirming Mr. Katz’s departure, Yahoo said in a statement, “David Katz, operating head for Yahoo! Sports and Yahoo! Studios is no longer with the company. We thank David for his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors. We have great leaders in place who will continue to drive our initiatives in both Sports and Studios.”

Mr. Braun, head of Yahoo’s media and entertainment division, is now focused on revamping the company’s old sites and launching new ones. Last week, Yahoo introduced a new design for its Yahoo TV site, the first makeover for that feature in five years. The Internet giant is also redesigning Yahoo Movies.

Yahoo will also concentrate on striking partnerships with content providers, an effort that yielded a video deal between Yahoo Finance and Fox News over the weekend.

As a result of the changes, Yahoo is reportedly holding a “major exec meeting across the board” on Tuesday, according to Paidcontent.