Famed TV Exec Joseph J. Collins Dead at 81

Famed TV executive Joseph J. Collins has died.

Variety reports that Collins, who worked at HBO, Time Warner Cable, and Comcast, passed away at his Weekapaug, Rhode Island, home on Thursday. He was 81.

“Joe was instrumental in building the first cable systems, upgrading them to deliver hundreds of channels, then video on demand, and finally the broadband streaming and internet apps that we all use every day now,” former Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said in a statement via NBC News.

Born on July 27, 1944, in Troy, New York, Collins graduated from Brown University and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Additionally, he served in the U.S. Navy and reached the rank of lieutenant, receiving the Vietnam Combat Action Ribbon. Afterward, he got a job with American Television and Communications, eventually becoming the president. Collins was named president of HBO in 1984, helping guide the network as it prepared for its eventual merger with Time Warner Cable in 1992. He then served as CEO until 2001, overseeing expansion and upgrades that helped with the development of high-speed internet.

During his time at Time Warner Cable, he is credited with helping usher in the era of technology by turning the company into an early provider of broadband internet. He is among the individuals who figured that digital technology could “transform cable into a telecommunications delivery system.” When Time Warner merged with AOL in 2001, Collins was named chief executive of AOL Time Warner Interactive Video, again helping guide the company in the home-internet age.

In 2005, he was named to Comcast’s board of directors and was in the role for a decade. As if that wasn’t enough, Collins served as the chairman of the National Cable Telecommunications Association twice and was also a founder and chairman of C-SPAN. Collins was the chairman of CableLabs and served on multiple corporate boards, including Turner Broadcasting System. In 2001, he was inducted into the Cable Center Hall of Fame.

During his retirement, Collins, a lifelong sailor, set up an investment group that acquired boatyards and marinas across New England. Collins is survived by his wife of 54 years, Maura; four children; and 11 grandchildren.