Charles Dolan, Cable Industry Pioneer and Founder of HBO, Dies at 98
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business Editor Charles Dolan, a titan of the early cable industry who owned Cablevision, launched HBO and AMC Network and later branched out into iconic New York venues and sports teams, has died.
He was 98. Dolan’s death was reported Saturday by Newsday, the Long Island newspaper owned by the Dolan family. Dolan’s influence in shaping the contemporary television business cannot be overstated.
In 1961, he started the process of wiring New York for cable with the launch of Manhattan Cable Television. A decade later, in 1971, he had the vision to launch Home Box Office as a service that would work with Hollywood studios to distribute movies.
He was a trailblazer in tapping satellite technology to accelerate the distribution of cable programming across the country.
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