D.C. Memo: Japan's SoftBank Would Take Ownership of Cable ISP WOW! with Buyout of DigitalBridge Group
In a little-noticed deal just before New Year, Tokyo-based Softbank Group Announced the Purchase of DigitalBridge Group Two Days Before DigitalBridge Became Majority Owner of WideOpenWest (WOW!)
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WOW!: As widely reported, DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners took publicly traded WideOpenWest (WOW!) private on Dec. 31, 2025 in a deal with a $1.5 billion enterprise value. DigitalBridge, based in Boca Raton, Fl., became WOW!’s majority owner. Less noticed was the announcement two days earlier that Tokyo-based SoftBank Group under CEO Masa Son planned to acquire DigitalBridge for about $4 billion. WOW! – with about 464,500 broadband subscribers – would likely become the first U.S. cable operator/broadband ISP to have majority Japanese ownership. Normally, the FCC would need to review cable operator transactions because MSOs tend to have FCC Cable Antenna Relay Service (CARS) wireless authorizations. The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau approved the WOW! go-private deal on Dec. 19, 2025. Emails sent Monday to a range of individuals connected to DigitalBridge, Crestview, Softbank and their public relations firms were not returned. A WOW! spokesperson suggested speaking with DigitalBridge. (More after paywall.)
