WideOpenWest
WideOpenWest is a regional broadband and cable operator serving 500,000+ residential customers across 19 Midwest and Southeast U.S. markets, delivering fiber internet up to 5 Gbps alongside bundled TV, phone, and mobile services under the WOW! brand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersEnglewood, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What WideOpenWest does
WideOpenWest (WOW!) is a regional broadband and cable operator serving approximately 500,000 residential customers across 19 markets in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast, with a fiber-to-the-home network passing roughly 1.9 million homes and delivering symmetrical speeds up to 5 Gbps alongside legacy hybrid fiber-coaxial infrastructure in earlier markets. The company was founded in 1995, headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and operates as WideOpenWest Finance, LLC following the December 31, 2025 take-private acquisition by DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners for approximately $1.5 billion, after which the company was delisted from the NYSE.
The core product is multi-speed residential fiber and cable internet (Fiber 300 Mbps at $25/mo through 5 Gbps tiers) sold direct-to-consumer via the wowway.com website, phone sales, and free self-install kits, augmented by a Whole-Home WiFi mesh add-on powered by eero devices, a YouTube TV streaming bundle (post-migration completion in June 2026), a home phone service starting at $9/mo, and a WOW! Mobile wireless offering on a 5G network with bundle discounts up to $10/mo. WOW! also operates dedicated business services (wowforbusiness.com) targeting SMBs and an MDU/property-manager channel (WOW! for Communities) for bulk broadband agreements.
Revenue is generated predominantly through recurring monthly internet subscriptions, with secondary contributions from TV/streaming, home phone, mobile, business services, and MDU bulk contracts. Pricing features no contracts, no data caps, no equipment rental fees, and an optional $5/mo Price Lock for Life add-on. Under new ownership and CEO Frank van der Post (effective January 6, 2026), WideOpenWest is executing a fiber-led capital deployment plan targeting 400,000 additional homes, supported by a $200M senior term loan closed in October 2024 and combined with state broadband grants. Q3 2025 disclosures showed an 8.9% year-over-year revenue decline and a $35.7M net loss, with the company carrying over $1B in debt at acquisition.
WideOpenWest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WideOpenWest
- Legal name
- WideOpenWest Finance, LLC
- Website
- https://wowway.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- WideOpenWest is a regional broadband and cable operator serving 500,000+ residential customers across 19 Midwest and Southeast U.S. markets, delivering fiber internet up to 5 Gbps alongside bundled TV, phone, and mobile services under the WOW! brand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WideOpenWest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Broadband Internet Services
- NAICS
- Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Telecommunications Resellers and Agents for Wireless Telecommunication Services (51712)
- SIC
- Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Radiotelephone Communications (4812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP/FTTH) Broadband Providers (HDAIABAC), Cable Internet ISPs (HFC Retail Providers) (HDAIADAF), Residential/Broadband ISPs (Consumer Internet) (HDAIADAA)
Keywords
Where WideOpenWest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Englewood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WideOpenWest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Internet Service (Residential): Monthly subscription fees for high-speed internet service across fiber and hybrid fiber-coaxial networks. Core revenue driver representing the majority of company revenue. Plans range from 300 Mbps to 5 Gbps symmetrical speeds with no data caps.
- TV Streaming Services: Revenue from YouTube TV bundle partnerships where WOW! offers discounted streaming TV service to internet subscribers. Migration from proprietary WOW! tv+ to YouTube TV completed by June 2026.
- Home Phone Service: Monthly fees for home phone service bundled with internet plans, starting at $9/mo. Includes unlimited local calling, 100 minutes of long distance, and optional unlimited LD calling upgrade.
- Mobile Phone Service: Wireless mobile plans powered by 5G nationwide network, starting at $15/mo per line. Bundled with internet service for savings up to $10/mo.
- Business/MDU Services: Commercial internet, TV, and phone services for multi-dwelling units and business customers, including bulk internet agreements with property managers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Fiber 300 Mbps - Entry-level fiber internet |
| Subscription | Monthly | 500 Mbps Fiber Plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | 1 Gig Fiber Plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | 3 Gig Fiber Plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | 5 Gig Fiber Plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | Price Lock for Life Add-on |
| Subscription | Monthly | Whole-Home WiFi Add-on |
| Subscription | Monthly | YouTube TV Bundle Discount |
| Subscription | Monthly | Home Phone Service |
| Subscription | Monthly | WOW! Mobile Plans |
| Subscription | Monthly | Service Protection Plan |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
WideOpenWest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WideOpenWest (WOW!) provides high-speed fiber-optic and hybrid fiber-coaxial broadband internet, streaming TV (YouTube TV), home phone, and mobile wireless services to residential households across 19 markets in the Midwest and Southeast United States. The company also delivers commercial internet, voice, and cloud services to small/mid-size businesses and bulk internet solutions to multi-dwelling unit (MDU) property managers. Internet plans range from 300 Mbps to 5 Gbps symmetrical speeds with no data caps, no contracts, and optional Price Lock for Life.
Product overview
WideOpenWest (WOW!) offers a bundled telecommunications portfolio of internet, TV streaming, home phone, and mobile services primarily to residential customers in the Midwest and Southeast United States. The core offering centers on high-speed internet (both traditional and fiber-optic) with speeds up to 5 Gbps, augmented by the YouTube TV streaming bundle, Whole-Home WiFi mesh networking, home phone, and mobile services. Additional offerings include WOW! Business for commercial customers, WOW! for Communities (MDU) for multi-dwelling properties, a Service Protection Plan for inside wiring maintenance, and Lifeline Assistance for low-income subscribers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WOW! Business: Business internet, voice, and cloud services division
- WOW! Mobile
- WOW! for Communities (MDU)
Products and services
- WOW! Fiber Internet Pure fiber optic internet service delivering symmetrical download and upload speeds up to 5 Gbps with no data caps and no contracts for residential customers.
- WOW! Internet High-speed internet service with various speed tiers delivered over fiber and hybrid fiber-coaxial networks, including WiFi modem, no annual contracts, and optional Price Lock for Life feature.
- WOW! Whole-Home WiFi Mesh WiFi service powered by eero devices that eliminates dead zones and provides seamless coverage throughout the home, with advanced security features and app-based management.
- YouTube TV Bundle Streaming live TV service bundled with WOW! internet, offering 100+ channels of live sports, news, and entertainment with unlimited DVR space and up to 6 individual accounts.
- WOW! Home Phone Landline phone service with unlimited local calling, 100 free long distance minutes, robocall blocking, voicemail, and optional unlimited LD calling upgrade.
- WOW! Mobile Wireless mobile phone service with plans starting at $15/month per line on the nationwide 5G network, with bundle savings up to $10/month when combined with WOW! internet.
- WOW! for Communities (MDU) Broadband services designed for multi-dwelling communities and property managers, offering customized bulk internet packages and property-wide infrastructure solutions.
- WOW! Business Dedicated business internet, data, voice, and cloud services for commercial customers and small/mid-size businesses through a separate WOW! Business division.
- Service Protection Plan Optional monthly maintenance plan covering inside wiring repair, technician visit fees, and equipment maintenance for residential customers.
- Lifeline Assistance Federal Lifeline Assistance program providing affordable phone and internet service for qualifying low-income households in specific WOW! service areas.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.9% network uptime reliability
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use WideOpenWest
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WideOpenWest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
WideOpenWest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA)minorADECA provided a $2.39 million grant to support WOW!'s fiber network expansion in Houston and Henry counties in southeastern Alabama, funding approximately 70% of the $3.41 million project cost for bringing fiber connectivity to rural underserved communities.
- Google/YouTube TVcoreWOW! partnered with Google in 2023 to distribute YouTube TV to its subscribers. The partnership involved migrating WOW!'s proprietary WOW! tv+ streaming service to YouTube TV, with migration completing by June 30, 2026. WOW! offers a $10/month bundle discount for new YouTube TV subscribers.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WideOpenWest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cable ONE: Cable ONE is the closest publicly traded analog to WOW!: a smaller, rural/suburban-focused U.S. cable/broadband ISP with similar customer scale (~$700M revenue tier), heavy fiber overbuild strategy, and a value/no-contract positioning approach. Operates Sparklight residential broadband across tier-2 markets.
- Breezeline (Cogeco Communications): Breezeline is Cogeco's U.S. cable/fiber ISP operating across 13 states with similar tier-2/regional focus and fiber overbuild strategy. WOW!'s new CEO Frank van der Post was previously President of Breezeline, confirming direct operational and strategic comparability.
- Frontier Communications: Frontier is a fiber-focused ILEC/overbuilder that has aggressively pivoted to FTTH across markets overlapping WOW!'s footprint (e.g., Michigan, Florida). Comparable business model — fiber build, broadband subscription revenue, and copper-to-fiber migration — and is now owned by Verizon post-2024 acquisition.
- Astound Broadband: Astound (backed by Stonepeak) operates a multi-brand regional cable/fiber ISP (RCN, Grande, Wave, enTouch) serving residential and business customers in tier-2 markets — a direct functional peer with similar fiber upgrade plans and PE-style sponsor ownership structure.
- Midco: Midcontinent Communications (Midco) is a Midwest regional cable/broadband ISP serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Kansas with cable and growing fiber services — overlapping geographically and structurally with WOW!'s Midwest core.
- TDS Telecom: Telephone and Data Systems' TDS Telecom is a rural/regional ILEC with significant FTTH expansion plans across 30+ states, overlapping geographically and product-wise with WOW!'s rural broadband strategy and MDU focus.
- Consolidated Communications: Consolidated Communications (now taken private by Searchlight Capital and BCI) is a regional fiber/telecom operator with active FTTH buildouts in markets comparable to WOW!'s footprint, including the Midwest and Southeast. Similar leverage profile and rural broadband subsidy exposure.
- Ziply Fiber: Ziply Fiber is a Pacific Northwest-focused fiber overbuilder (sponsor-owned by WaveDivision Capital) executing aggressive multi-gig FTTH buildouts in tier-2 markets — directly comparable business model, capital structure, and 'symmetrical fiber, no contracts' positioning to WOW!.
Broad incumbents
- Comcast Xfinity: Comcast Xfinity is the largest U.S. cable ISP and WOW!'s most significant direct competitor in overlapping markets, with national scale, DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade roadmap, and bundled mobile (Xfinity Mobile) — represents the strategic competitive frame that determines WOW!'s pricing and churn dynamics.
- Charter Communications (Spectrum): Charter Spectrum is the second-largest U.S. cable ISP and a head-to-head competitor in WOW!'s Midwest/Southeast markets. National scale, hybrid fiber-coaxial plant upgrades, and Spectrum Mobile MVNO provide the primary competitive reference point for WOW!'s HFC legacy footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WideOpenWest social profiles
Digital presenceWideOpenWest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WideOpenWest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
WideOpenWest subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
WideOpenWest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WideOpenWest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WideOpenWest
What does WideOpenWest do?
WideOpenWest (WOW!) provides high-speed fiber-optic and hybrid fiber-coaxial broadband internet, streaming TV (YouTube TV), home phone, and mobile wireless services to residential households across 19 markets in the Midwest and Southeast United States. The company also delivers commercial internet, voice, and cloud services to small/mid-size businesses and bulk internet solutions to multi-dwelling unit (MDU) property managers. Internet plans range from 300 Mbps to 5 Gbps symmetrical speeds with no data caps, no contracts, and optional Price Lock for Life.
Is WideOpenWest a public or private company?
WideOpenWest is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was WideOpenWest founded?
WideOpenWest was founded in 1995. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is WideOpenWest based?
WideOpenWest is headquartered in Englewood, United States, in the North America region.
How does WideOpenWest make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Internet Service (Residential) is the primary driver. The others are TV Streaming Services, home Phone Service, mobile Phone Service and business/MDU Services.
Who are WideOpenWest's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cable ONE, Breezeline (Cogeco Communications), Frontier Communications, Astound Broadband, Midco, TDS Telecom, Consolidated Communications and Ziply Fiber. Broad incumbents are Comcast Xfinity and Charter Communications (Spectrum).
Does WideOpenWest have an API?
No public API is recorded for WideOpenWest.
What industry is WideOpenWest in?
WideOpenWest's product category is Broadband Internet Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIADAE, Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers), with a secondary code of HDAIABAC, Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP/FTTH) Broadband Providers. Its NAICS code is 51711 and its SIC code is 4841.