WOW!’s $1.5B Take-Private Deal: New CEO Frank van der Post to Lead Fiber-Focused Transformation

WOW!’s recent leadership and ownership transition marks a pivotal phase for the company, with strategic implications for its operational performance and positioning in the U.S. broadband market.

1. Leadership change in context: Teresa Elder led WOW! for approximately eight years. Her retirement coincides with the company’s return to private ownership under DigitalBridge and Crestview as of December 31, 2025, positioning the company to break free from public market pressures. Such transitions often aim to enable longer-term investments, tolerate short-term losses, and accelerate initiatives that may be challenging in a quarterly-driven setting.

2. Strategic rationale for van der Post’s appointment: Van der Post has deep fiber-broadband leadership from Breezeline (Cogeco’s U.S. operations), overseeing operations in 13 states, and has held senior roles at KPN and other global service firms. His background suggests strength in modernizing existing networks, managing customer experience, and executing in competitive environments—skills that align with WOW!’s stated priorities.

3. Deal financials and implications: The take-private deal valued WOW! at approximately $1.5 billion enterprise value, paying $5.20 per common share—a 37.2% premium to an unaffected price in May 2024 and a 63% premium relative to the August 2025 closing price. The delisting removes public share liquidity and potentially reduces transparency, but also creates room for strategic execution less constrained by short-term earnings expectations.

4. Challenges and risks: Transforming network infrastructure, improving customer experience, and boosting operational efficiency require substantial capital investment, management bandwidth, and time. There is risk that legacy infrastructure may be harder to upgrade than anticipated, that competition from fiber incumbents or wireless/5G providers could pressure margins, and that expectations (internally or from limited partners) for returns in a private equity-backed entity may limit flexibility.

5. Strategic opportunities: Being private under DigitalBridge – which manages over $100 billion in digital infrastructure assets – gives WOW! access to sector-specific expertise and capital. Van der Post’s previous experience modernizing networks at Breezeline, plus his international commercial background, may enable better execution of fiber transitions, expansion in under-served markets, and effective customer acquisition/retention strategies. Additionally, as demand rises for low-latency and high-capacity internet (driven by edge computing, AI, remote work, etc.), WOW! may be well-positioned to capture value if execution is strong.

6. Broader implications for DigitalBridge and Crestview: For DigitalBridge, adding WOW! enhances its fiber-broadband footprint and reaffirms its strategy of building infrastructure platforms. For Crestview, rolling over its 37% stake and working jointly with DigitalBridge underscores its long-term commitment. The success of WOW!’s transformation will reflect on both firms’ reputations in digital infrastructure investment, potentially influencing how future deals are structured—e.g., private vs public, speed of build-outs, etc.

Open questions include: What is the planned capital investment over the next 12-24 months for network upgrades? What fiber rollout or fiber to the premise (FTTP) expansion is prioritized? How will WOW! address competitive pressures (e.g., from incumbents in core markets or wireless alternatives)? How will the company measure success internally now that public metrics are no longer bound by market disclosures?