Charles Dolan, a pioneering figure in bringing cable television to the US and creating what became HBO, has passed away at age 98. He was also the head of a vast media and sports empire that includes Madison Square Garden, several teams including the New York Knicks and Rangers, and AMC Networks.
Born in Ohio, Dolan started his career distributing sports and industrial films before identifying the need for cable television to overcome signal interference issues in Manhattan. In 1964, he partnered with the city to bring cable to a few buildings, and later showed Knicks and Rangers playoff games on the airwaves. He then founded Home Box Office for movies and sold his cable service and HBO to build Cablevision.
Cablevision went on to provide TV and internet services across the northeastern US before being sold to European company Altice in 2015 for $18 billion. Dolan’s family, including son James, had grown increasingly unpopular with New Yorkers due to their ownership of the Knicks and disputes over programming. At the time of his death, Dolan was worth $5.4 billion.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clygpjgpk4do