Japan’s SoftBank Getting Closer to Owning U.S. ISP WideOpenWest
DigitalBridge shareholders approve broadband company’s sale to SoftBank.
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2026 — DigitalBridge stockholders on April 23 overwhelmingly approved the company’s $4 billion sale to SoftBank Group Corp., clearing a major hurdle for the multibillion‑dollar deal.
At a virtual special meeting, DigitalBridge Group said shareholders voted 96% in favor of the deal, which will pay investors $16 per share in cash once the transaction closes. DigitalBridge, with minority partner Crestview Partners, acquired WideOpenWest (WOW!) only in late December 2025 at a $1.5 billion enterprise valuation. WOW! has about 460,000 broadband subscribers.
Based in Tokyo, SoftBank is a $150 billion technology investment firm whose largest individual shareholder is Japanese citizen Masayoshi Son. The company acquired telecom company Sprint in 2013 and British semiconductor giant Arm in 2016.
