HBO founder Charles Dolan dies at 98

Charles Dolan, the visionary behind HBO and Cablevision, passed away at 98 on December 28. His family confirmed his death from natural causes.

Dolan is remembered for founding HBO in 1972 and establishing Cablevision a year later, which grew into one of the largest cable operators in the U.S. He later sold Cablevision to Altice for $17.7 billion in 2017.

Dolan also launched News 12 Long Island in 1986, marking the first 24-hour regional cable news channel in the US, which led to the creation of the News 12 Networks. 

Dolan stepped down as executive chairman of AMC Networks in 2020 after it was spun off from Cablevision in 2011. He is survived by six children, including James Dolan, AMC Networks CEO Kristin Dolan, and Patrick Dolan, who runs Newsday. His wife passed away in August 2023 at 96.