At the age of 98, Charles Dolan—the millionaire creator of HBO and Cablevision—a trailblazer in the television business—has gone away. According to a Newsday article, a Dolan family-owned newspaper since 2008, his family announced his death on Saturday and attributed it to natural causes. “We announce the death of our beloved father and patriarch, Charles Dolan, the visionary founder of HBO and Cablevision, with great sadness,” the family said.
Steering a New Era on Television
Beginning his remarkable career in journalism in New York City in 1952 at just 26, Dolan He started Sterling Manhattan Cable in 1962, guaranteeing exclusive contracts with local sports clubs like the New York Knicks and Rangers. This business was a turning point in his career and prepared him for his next contributions to the sector.
With Home Box Office (HBO), the first premium cable channel Dolan developed in 1972, he transformed television by providing exclusive content to subscribing members. He started Cablevision a year later, and it developed into a major force in the cable business. Dolan stayed chairman of the firm until it sold in 2016.
Charles Dolan: Media Empire and family legacy
Dolan’s entrepreneurial vision transcended cable. He established News12, the first 24-hour local news station in the United States, therefore strengthening his reputation as a media innovator. With majority shares in AMC Networks and Madison Square Garden’s entertainment and sports endeavors, his family’s impact still shapes the business.
Forbes projects the Dolan family’s net wealth at $5.4 billion, a monument to Charles Dolan’s economic sense and ongoing contributions to media and entertainment.
Net Worth of Charles Dolan
Dolan, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, left John Carroll University to start his career in sports newsreels, creating material for television networks from his hometown. He entered industrial filmmaking after relocating to New York in 1952, then ventured into cable television, wiring lower Manhattan and creating HBO’s forerunner.
For $17.7 billion, Dolan sold Cablevision—the business he started from nothing with just 1,500 customers—to Patrick Drahi in 2016. In addition, he was chairman emeritus of the Lustgarten Foundation, the biggest private donor of pancreatic cancer research globally.
Keeping in mind a family patriarch
Six children, nineteen grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren survive Dolan. Helen Ann Dolan, his years-long wife, died in 2023.
Continuating the family’s participation in sports and entertainment, James Dolan, his son, is the executive chairman of Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks.
As a visionary leader whose ideas changed the television scene and created a media empire still vibrant today, Charles Dolan leaves behind an enduring legacy.
