WideOpenWest (WOW!), Inc. has agreed to be acquired by DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $1.5 billion. Under the agreement, WOW! shareholders will receive $5.20 per share, representing a 37.2% premium over the company’s pre-offer trading price and a 63% premium to the August 8 closing price. Crestview, WOW!’s largest shareholder with a 37% stake, will roll over its shares into the new ownership structure.
The transaction, unanimously approved by WOW!’s board and special committee, is expected to close by late 2025 or early 2026, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals. Once completed, WOW! will become a private company, delisting from public exchanges. DigitalBridge and Crestview plan to invest in expanding and upgrading WOW!’s broadband network, targeting geographic expansion, fiber buildouts, and adoption of new network technologies to enhance service quality and competitiveness.
WOW! serves nearly 2 million customers across 20 U.S. markets, with a strong footprint in the Midwest and Southeast, and recent all-fiber deployments in Florida and South Carolina. DigitalBridge, managing $106 billion in digital infrastructure assets, has a long track record in fiber, towers, and data centers. Crestview, with over $10 billion in committed capital, specializes in media, industrials, and financial services investments.
• Transaction value: $1.5 billion all-cash deal
• Purchase price: $5.20 per share, 37.2% premium over pre-offer trading
• Crestview rolling over 37% ownership stake
• Closing target: Late 2025 or Q1 2026, pending approvals
• Strategic focus: Network upgrades, geographic expansion, fiber deployments
“Today’s announcement is an exciting step for WOW!’s investors, employees and customers,” said WOW! CEO Teresa Elder. “WOW!’s next chapter with DigitalBridge and Crestview will bring new and exciting opportunities to our stakeholders and enhance our position as a trusted provider of fast, reliable and affordable broadband solutions.”
Addendum – DigitalBridge’s Fiber and Broadband Strategy
The WOW! acquisition fits DigitalBridge’s broader plan to deepen its presence in regional broadband and fiber infrastructure. In its Q2 2025 earnings update, DigitalBridge highlighted investments in last-mile fiber builds, edge data centers, and wholesale fiber backbones through its portfolio companies. The firm is pursuing growth in underserved and high-growth U.S. markets, often through buy-and-build strategies.
Recent moves include expansion of Zayo Group’s long-haul and metro fiber networks, a partnership with Crown Castle for targeted fiber asset integration, and an agreement with Nebraska-based ALLO Communications to extend gigabit services in the Midwest. These initiatives align with DigitalBridge’s thesis that regional fiber platforms can be scaled for both consumer broadband and enterprise connectivity, particularly when paired with capital for technology upgrades such as XGS-PON and edge compute capabilities.
🌐 Why it Matters: This deal underscores private equity’s expanding role in reshaping U.S. broadband networks. DigitalBridge is building a vertically integrated digital infrastructure portfolio spanning data centers, fiber, and wireless assets — positioning it to benefit from surging bandwidth demand across residential, business, and edge applications.
