HBO Legend Charles Dolan Dead at 98

Charles Dolan, the billionaire founder of HBO and Cablevision, has died. Dolan’s family told Newsday, the Long Island newspaper owned by the Dolan family, on Saturday, Dec. 28 that the businessman died of natural causes surrounded by loved ones. He was 98.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved father and patriarch, Charles Dolan, the visionary founder of HBO and Cablevision,” a family statement shared by a spokesperson said. “Remembered as both a trailblazer in the television industry and a devoted family man, his legacy will live on.”

A native of Ohio, Dolan spent decades in the TV business and got his start in the ‘50s when he and his wife Helen started a business out of their home producing short films of sporting events for syndication to local TV stations, according to Variety. He later relocated to New York City to produce for the syndication company Telenews, per The Hollywood Reporter, and then joined Sterling Television, which he later bought with a partner.

A decade after founding Sterling Manhattan Cable in 1962, launched Home Box Office. Billed as “the Macy’s of television,” the network, now known as HBO, was a first of-its-kind premium cable channel that provided live events, sports, and movies without commercial interruption.

“I grew up on radio and radio was free. Then television arrived and it was free, too. The only reason anybody paid for cable was that their reception was bad,” Dolan said in the 2021 oral history Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, Deadline reported. “I thought we could reserve one of those channels to use for a pay-TV operation and offer programming you couldn’t get elsewhere.”

A year after HBO’s launch, Dolan sold his interest in both HBO and Sterling assets to Time Inc., and used the proceeds of the sale to launch Cablevision. Hoping to replicate the success of HBO at Cablevision, Dolan and his family launched American Movie Classics, a movie-focused channel, in 1984. In 1994, Cablevision acquired a 50% stake in Madison Square Garden before later acquiring the remaining 50% three years later. Cablevision was sold in 2016 to French telecom firm Altice for $17.7 billion. Dolan stepped down as executive chairman of the board of directors of AMC Networks in 2020.

“Mr. Dolan’s vision built the foundation for the companies we are today, and as a member of our Boards he continued to help shape our future. The impact he made on the media, sports, and entertainment industries, including as the founder of Cablevision and HBO, is immeasurable,” MSG Entertainment and MSG Sports said in a statement. “His life was a testament to the importance of innovation, generosity, and hard work, and his legacy will live on in the industries he pioneered, the communities he served, and the memories of those who love him. Our thoughts are with the entire Dolan family and the countless people Mr. Dolan influenced throughout his remarkable life.”

Dolan is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.