BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — DigitalBridge and Crestview Partners said they have completed their previously announced take-private acquisition of WideOpenWest, Inc., better known as WOW!, a broadband provider offering fiber internet and connectivity services across 20 markets.
The deal puts the enterprise value at about $1.5 billion. WOW! shareholders will receive $5.20 in cash per share, and with the transaction now closed, the company’s common stock is no longer traded or listed on any public securities exchange.
The announcement landed late in the year, dated Dec. 31, and it places Boca Raton squarely in the middle of another major digital infrastructure deal. DigitalBridge Group, Inc., based in Boca Raton, describes itself as a global alternative asset manager focused on assets that keep data moving — fiber, cell towers, data centers, small cells, edge infrastructure. This one adds scale.
Executives said the move to private ownership is meant to speed things up. More flexibility, fewer quarterly pressures, more room to invest.
“We are excited to complete this transaction and begin a new era of growth,” Jonathan Friesel, Senior Managing Director and Head of Fiber at DigitalBridge, said in the announcement. He said the focus will be on network and customer experience enhancements, operational improvements, and delivering what he described as an exceptional connected experience over WOW!’s high-performance networks.
Crestview Partners struck a similar note but framed it more bluntly. As a private company, WOW! will have more strategic flexibility and resources to compete in its markets and pursue long-term growth, said Brian Cassidy, President and Head of Media at Crestview Partners. He said the investment should allow advanced technology to reach those markets faster and strengthen WOW!’s competitive position.
WOW! is one of the nation’s larger broadband providers, offering high-speed internet, cable TV, home phone, mobile phone, and business services. The company operates in 20 markets, including parts of Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
What changes now is the pace. DigitalBridge and Crestview said the transaction is intended to support expanded fiber deployments, kick off network modernization initiatives, and accelerate growth. In plain terms, more build-outs, more upgrades. That’s the promise.
The deal also pulled in a long list of advisors. Centerview Partners LLC acted as the sole financial advisor to the special committee of the WOW! board that evaluated the transaction, with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz serving as legal counsel to that committee. LionTree Advisors acted as financial advisor to DigitalBridge and Crestview, while Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs served as structuring advisors. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP was legal counsel to DigitalBridge, and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP represented Crestview.
There is, as always, a caution flag attached. The companies included standard forward-looking statements warning that the transaction and its expected effects involve risks and uncertainties. Those include potential litigation, disruptions tied to the deal itself, challenges retaining or hiring key personnel, and broader business risks already laid out in WOW!’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Still, for South Florida readers, the local angle is hard to miss. DigitalBridge, headquartered here, continues to expand its footprint in the infrastructure behind everyday connectivity. Another big transaction, another press release, another late-December close.
Now comes the quieter part.
What happens next will be less about deal terms and more about what customers actually see — where fiber lines get laid, how quickly networks are modernized, and whether service improves in the markets WOW! serves. That’s the part that tends to matter, long after the paperwork is signed.
Source: PRNewswire (Dec. 31, 2025) — DigitalBridge and Crestview Partners announcement on completed take-private acquisition of WOW!
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