WideOpenWest

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.

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

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

• Fiber internet services
• Broadband internet
• Residential internet
• Telecom services
• Cable broadband

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA)minorOthers · 25 February 2026ADECA 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 TVcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023WOW! 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/thewowbuzz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/WOWInternetCablePhone
• Facebookfacebook.com/wowinternetcablephone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/360153
• Instagraminstagram.com/wowfiberinternet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WideOpenWest