# James L. Dolan

> James L. Dolan leads Sphere Entertainment and the Madison Square Garden entertainment and sports companies. A former Cablevision CEO and singer with JD & the Straight Shot, he has built a career around distribution, venues, and live audiences, with Sphere extending that work into immersive productions and planned international expansion.

- **Role:** Executive Chairman & CEO at Sphere Entertainment Co.
- **Organizations:** Sphere Entertainment Co., Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., AMC Global Media Inc., Cablevision Systems Corporation (former CEO), Rainbow Media Holdings (former CEO), JD & the Straight Shot, Garden of Dreams Foundation
- **From:** Massapequa, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** State University of New York at New Paltz
- **Known for:** Oversaw Cablevision as CEO from 1995 through its 2016 sale., Led the development of Sphere in Las Vegas., Helped establish Billy Joel’s monthly Garden franchise residency.

## Career timeline

- **1970s** — Began working at Cablevision, including door-to-door sales.
- **1992** — Became CEO of Rainbow Media Holdings.
- **1995** — Became Cablevision CEO.
- **2014** — Billy Joel’s monthly Madison Square Garden residency began.
- **2016** — Cablevision was sold to Altice; his tenure as CEO ended in June.
- **2019** — JD & the Straight Shot released The Great Divide.
- **2023** — Sphere in Las Vegas opened on September 29 with U2.
- **2024** — Added the CEO role at MSG Sports in May; Sphere Abu Dhabi plans announced in October.
- **2026** — National Harbor proposal announced in January; Yas Island confirmed for Sphere Abu Dhabi in May.

## Achievements

- Oversaw Cablevision as CEO from 1995 through its 2016 sale.
- Led the development of Sphere in Las Vegas.
- Helped establish Billy Joel’s monthly Garden franchise residency.
- Recorded and toured with JD & the Straight Shot, including opening for the Eagles.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Sphere’s second-quarter report outlined continuing expansion work and a planned Rocky Horror Picture Show production for 2027. The company reported $313.6 million in revenue and a $61.3 million operating loss.
- **2026-05** — Yas Island confirmed as the Sphere Abu Dhabi site, with construction expected to finish by the end of 2029.
- **2026-01** — Announced intent to develop a smaller, approximately 6,000-seat Sphere at National Harbor, Maryland.

## Links

- Website: https://www.sphereentertainmentco.com/leadership/james-dolan/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/james-dolan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14