One of the US cable sector’s most renowned figures, Comcast founder Ralph Roberts, has died of natural causes aged 95.
Roberts founded Comcast, now the country’s largest cableco, in 1963 with the purchase of a 1,200-subscriber cable system in…
One of the US cable sector’s most renowned figures, Comcast founder Ralph Roberts, has died of natural causes aged 95.
Roberts founded Comcast, now the country’s largest cableco, in 1963 with the purchase of a 1,200-subscriber cable system in Tupelo, Mississippi. He grew the company, now based in Philadelphia, via a series of acquisitions and aggressive marketing techniques, buoyed by rapid cable sector growth in the 80s and 90s.
Today, Comcast is the leading video, high-speed internet and phone provider to residential customers – services it also provides to businesses. The company’s assets include cable network operator NBCUniversal, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, and Universal Pictures.
At the time of his death, Roberts was chairman emeritus of Comcast’s board of directors. His son Brian Roberts became company president in 1990 and CEO in 2002.
Comcast described Roberts in a statement as “a born entrepreneur, a visionary businessman, a philanthropist and a wonderful human being”, adding that “his vision and spirit have been at the heart of Comcast and our culture for 50 years”.
Mathew Polka, CEO of the American Cable Association (ACA), issued one of many tributes to Roberts, describing him in a statement as a “business legend”.
“Amid a digital revolution that disrupted and confused so many in the business world, Ralph Roberts saw the future clearly and encouraged Comcast to become a broadband and technology innovator benefiting industry and consumers here and around the world,” he said.
Roberts was the recipient of numerous cable sector awards during his career, including the Vangaurd Award for Distinguished Leadership from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and induction in the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and Cable Television Hall of Fame.
