WideOpenWest, Inc. (WOW)

In the past six months, WideOpenWest, Inc. announced on August 11, 2025, that it would be taken private by affiliated investment funds of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. and Crestview Partners, with shareholders receiving $5.20 per share. This led to a surge in the stock price. The company's stock has returned 24.5% over the last six months, while the S&P 500 gained 29.3% during the same period. Earnings reports also influenced the stock, with Q1 2025 revenue exceeding expectations but Q2 2025 revenue being in line with estimates but missing expectations on GAAP loss per share. Following the privatization announcement, shareholder rights law firms initiated investigations into whether WideOpenWest, Inc. was obtaining a fair price for its public shareholders.

While specific detailed seasonality for all of WideOpenWest's products and services is not explicitly provided, general trends in the broadband and cable industry offer some insights. Broadband growth typically experiences a slowdown in the second quarter, often attributed to college students disconnecting services for summer break. The trend of "cord-cutting" continues to impact demand for cable television services, and cable internet providers are projected to continue losing internet customers through 2025, though a return to subscriber growth is anticipated in 2026. Despite these industry-wide challenges, WideOpenWest has noted strong demand for its High-Speed Data (HSD) services.

WideOpenWest, Inc. (WOW) is a broadband provider in the United States, offering communication services to residential, business, and wholesale customers. The company operates in the Consumer Discretionary sector, specifically in the Cable Television industry, and its major products include high-speed internet, cable television, and digital phone services. WOW uses its fiber-optic network to deliver internet speeds and high-definition television programming.

WOW primarily serves markets in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. As of March 2025, the company provides services in 19 markets across states such as Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. WOW is expanding its all-fiber network into new "Greenfield" markets and extending service into adjacent "Edge-out" communities, aiming to pass 400,000 homes in new areas.

WideOpenWest (WOW) has maintained a positive brand reputation in certain aspects over the past year, being recognized multiple times as a "Best & Brightest Company to Work For in the Nation" and continuing its partnership with the Augusta GreenJackets to acknowledge exceptional teachers. However, the company's reputation has also faced scrutiny due to shareholder investigations launched in September 2025, examining the fairness of the buyout proposal by DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners.

As of April 2025, WideOpenWest, Inc. is a privately held company, with ownership primarily concentrated among private equity firms and institutional investors. Crestview Partners is the most significant shareholder, having acquired the company. Prior to its privatization, major institutional owners included Crestview Partners III GP, L.P., LB Partners LLC, BlackRock, Inc., Vanguard Group Inc, Alberta Investment Management Corp, VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, Paragon Capital Management Ltd, Gamco Investors, Inc. Et Al, IWM - iShares Russell 2000 ETF, and Geode Capital Management, Llc.