Joseph J. Collins, a major cable executive who held senior posts at Time Warner Cable and Comcast and was once president of HBO, has died.
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According to Variety, a family representative confirmed that Collins died of unspecified causes on April 2 at his home in Weekapaug, Rhode Island. He was 81.
Collins’ career covered the period when early cable operators became broadband providers. He held a senior post at Time Warner Cable, now part of Charter Communications, which was an early investor in broadband infrastructure. A contemporary of well-known industry figures like John Malone, Collins was known for helping advance the hybrid fiber-coaxial architecture that became the technical foundation for high-speed cable internet.
Collins was born in Troy, NY, in 1944. He graduated from Brown University and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also served in the U.S. Navy, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant and received the Vietnam Combat Action Ribbon for his service in the Vietnam War.
Collins held senior executive positions at Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and other foundational companies in the cable industry. He was appointed president of HBO in 1984.
As chairman and CEO of American Television and Communications, Collins later oversaw its merger with Time Warner Cable and became CEO of the combined company. He first joined ATC in 1972 as a marketing director, becoming president a decade later.
Joseph J. Collins Also Founded C-SPAN
Collins also founded and chaired C-SPAN, led the industry tech organization CableLabs, chaired the board of directors at Comcast, and served on the boards of Turner Broadcasting and TriStar Pictures. While on the Turner board, he helped spearhead its merger with Time Warner. He was recognized with numerous industry honors and was inducted into the Cable Center Hall of Fame in 2001.
Collins lived for many years in Darien, Connecticut, later dividing his time between Weekapaug, Rhode Island, and Jupiter Island, Florida.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Maura McManman Collins. He is also survived by his children, Maura Farley Lucke, Elizabeth Dempsey Fitton, Joseph Jameson Collins Jr., and Kathryn “Tryn” Collins. Collins leaves behind 11 grandchildren.