Billionaire HBO creator Charles Dolan dies aged 98
At the time, he was selling special programming to hotels through his Teleguide service, while cable television was taking off in rural areas.
In 1964 Dolan made a deal with New York to wire some Manhattan buildings with cable and a few years later, hoping to attract viewers, he made a deal to show the Knicks and Rangers play-offs on cable, according to Variety.
He then went on to create Home Box Office for movies, and then sold both his cable service and HBO to build up Cablevision, which ended up providing television and internet to households across the north-eastern United States.
In 2015, the Dolan family sold Cablevision to European company Altice for nearly $18bn (£14.3bn).
By then Dolan's son James was running what the New York Times called the family's empire.
And the Dolans had become "the family that New Yorkers often loved to hate", according to the New York Times, over frustration over the Knicks' performance and fights with networks over their programming that had threatened to keep customers from watching the Academy Awards and the World Series.
Dolan was worth $5.4bn (£4.3bn) at the time of his death, according to Forbes.
Charles Dolan, Cablevision and HBO founder, dies at 98
NEW YORK -- Charles Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent U.S. media companies including New York-based Cablevision and HBO, has died at age 98.
Dolan died of natural causes, his family said in a statement published by Newsday late Saturday.
"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," the statement said.
Dolan's legacy in cable broadcasting includes the 1972 launch of Home Box Office, later known as HBO, and founding Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television station in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first 24-hour cable channel for local news in the U.S.
Dolan, whose primary home was in Cove Neck Village on New York's Long Island, also held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
James L. Dolan, one of his sons, was the Cablevision CEO from 1995 until the 2016 sale to Altice. He now is the executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. The company owns the Knicks and Rangers franchises, among other properties, according to the MSG Sports website.
Newsday, which Cablevision purchased in 2008, also came under the control of Altice with the sale. Patrick Dolan, another son of Charles Dolan, led a group that repurchased 75% of Newsday Media Group in July 2016. Patrick Dolan then purchased the remaining 25% stake in 2018.
At the time of his death, Charles Dolan and his family had a net worth of $5.4 billion, Forbes reported.
Dolan was a founder and chairman emeritus of The Lustgarten Foundation in Uniondale, New York, which conducts pancreatic cancer research.
He is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Helen Ann Dolan, died in 2023, Newsday reported.
Billionaire Charles Dolan—Founder Of HBO And Cablevision—Dies At 98
Charles Dolan, the billionaire founder of HBO and Cablevision whose family owns Madison Square Garden and AMC Networks, died Saturday from natural causes, the Dolan family announced in a statement.
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Dolan and his family have a fortune valued at $5.4 billion, according to our latest estimates. Dolan and his six children own controlling stakes in AMC Networks and Madison Square Garden’s entertainment and sports companies, which include the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, run by Dolan’s son James.
Born in Cleveland in 1926, Charles Dolan moved with his wife Helen to New York City in the early 1950s to work for a television news service. Dolan grew his initial fortune by securing wiring rights for lower Manhattan and founded HBO’s predecessor, which he sold in 1973 to fund a new cable system, Cablevision. He founded the American Movie Classics network in 1984, later becoming AMC Networks, and his son James served as Cablevision’s CEO until 2016, when the company was sold to Altice for $17.7 billion. Dolan is also the founder and chairman emeritus of the Lustgarten Foundation, the world's largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research.
Charles Dolan, HBO and Cablevision founder, dies at 98
Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent US media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98, according to a news report.
A statement issued Saturday by his family said Dolan died of natural causes, Newsday reported late Saturday.
“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,” the statement said.
Dolan’s legacy in cable broadcasting includes the 1972 launch of Home Box Office, later known as HBO, and founding Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television station in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first 24-hour cable channel for local news in the US, Newsday reported.
The Cleveland native, who dropped out of John Carroll University in suburban Cleveland, completed the sale of Cablevision to Altice, a European telecommunications and cable company, for $17.7 billion in June 2016.
Dolan, whose primary home was in Cove Neck Village on Long Island in New York, also held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, Newsday reported.
James L. Dolan, one of his sons, was the Cablevision CEO from 1995 until the 2016 sale to Altice. He now is the executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. The company owns the Knicks and Rangers franchises, among other properties, according to the MSG Sports website.
Newsday, which Cablevision purchased in 2008, also came under the control of Altice with the sale. Patrick Dolan, another son of Charles Dolan, led a group that repurchased 75% of Newsday Media Group in July 2016. Patrick Dolan then purchased the remaining 25% stake in 2018.
At the time of his death, Charles Dolan and his family had a net worth of $5.4 billion, Forbes reported.
Dolan was a founder and chairman emeritus of The Lustgarten Foundation in Uniondale, New York, which conducts pancreatic cancer research.
He is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Helen Ann Dolan, died in 2023, Newsday reported.
Charles Dolan, billionaire founder of HBO and Cablevision, dead at 98
Charles Dolan, the billionaire founder of HBO and Cablevision, whose family owns Madison Square Garden, has died at age 98, his family said Saturday.
Dolan passed away of natural causes surrounded by his loved ones, according to a statement.
“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,” the statement reads.
Dolan’s career began in New York City in 1952 when he was just 26 years old.
Dolan — the father of New York Knicks Executive Chairman James Dolan — founded Sterling Manhattan Cable in 1962, which had exclusive agreements with New York pro-sports teams, including the Knicks and the Rangers.
Ten years later, in 1972, the Air Force veteran established Home Box Office — now commonly referred to as HBO — the first of-its-kind premium cable channel that would revolutionize the way people watched television.
The following year, in 1973, Dolan founded Cablevision, the cable company of which he was still the Chairman.
Dolan, whose family has a net worth of about $5.4 billion according to Forbes, also founded News12 in New York City, the first 24-hour cable channel for local news in the US.
He is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
His wife, Helen Ann Dolan, died in 2023.
Charles Dolan, Billionaire TV Pioneer Who Founded HBO, AMC and Cablevision, Dies at 98: 'His Legacy Will Live on'
Charles Dolan, a billionaire television pioneer, has died. He was 98.
A family spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement on Saturday, Dec. 28 that Dolan died "from natural causes, surrounded by his loved ones."
“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," the statement read.
"He is survived by his six children, 19 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren," the statement continued. "Remembered as both a trailblazer in the television industry and a devoted family man, his legacy will live on.”
Dolan's wife, Helen Ann Dolan, preceded him in death in 2023, Newsday reported.
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Dolan's career kicked off when he founded Sterling Manhattan Cable in 1962. The company had exclusive agreements with various New York sports teams.
He later went on to establish Home Box Office Inc., which eventually became known as HBO, in 1972, Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics (AMC) television station in 1984, CNN reported.
Dolan also launched News 12, the first 24-hour cable channel for local news in the United States, in 1986, according to Newsday.
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The businessman held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden and the Radio City Music Hall, as well as the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, the outlet added.
Per CNN, Dolan was also a founder and chairman emeritus of The Lustgarten Foundation, which conducts pancreatic cancer research.
According to Forbes, Dolan and his family have a net worth of 5.4 billion at the time of his death.
Charles Dolan, creator of HBO, is dead at 98
Dec. 29 (UPI) -- HBO creator and billionaire Charles Dolan has died at the age of 98.
A long-time media entrepreneur, Dolan was selling special programming to hotels through his Teleguide service as cable television was beginning to emerge as an entertainment option in rural areas in the 1960s.
In 1964, he made broadcasts of the NBA's New York Knicks and NHL's Rangers playoff games available on cable in some Manhattan apartment buildings through a deal with the borough of Manhattan, according to Variety.
Dolan went on to create the entertainment channel Home Box Office, which became known as HBO, 8 years later. It was an exclusive outlet to show movies that were only available on that channel. HBO required a subscription above and beyond cable services fees since day one.
He later sold HBO and his cable company to raise cash for Cablevision, which in turn provided service in the northeastern United States states. He sold Cablevision to a European company in 2015 for $18 billion.
HBO has since gone on to broadcast motion pictures and original TV programs as well as documentaries, stand-up comedy shows and concert specials.
Dolan, with his son James taking control of the media empire, later became known as 'the family that New Yorkers often loved to hate,' according to the New York Times, over fights with networks over HBO programming that had threatened to keep customers from watching the Academy Awards and the World Series.
