Charter Closes Optimum West Deal

**Editor’s Note: Please click here for a recap of the biggest channel-impacting mergers in Q1 2013.**

Charter Communications Inc.  has completed its $1.625 billion acquisition of Cablevision‘s Optimum West, giving the Stamford, Conn.-based company cable operating systems in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Utah that pass more than 660,000 homes and serve 375,000 residential and business customers.

Charter already operates systems in Tennessee/Louisiana, New England, Georgia/Alabama, Central States, Carolinas/Virginia, Texas, Northwest, California, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota/Nebraska.

Charter funded the acquisition of Optimum West with $1.5 billion of committed bank financing to Charter Communications Operating LLC, and liquidity from cash on hand and its revolving credit facility.

Charter is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. It provides a full range of broadband services, including advanced Charter TV video entertainment programming, Charter Internet access, and Charter Phone. Charter Business provides broadband communications, such as Internet access, data networking, telephone, video and music entertainment services, and wireless backhaul.

Charter expects to extend its sales efforts through the channel in the newly acquired territory in fourth quarter, according to Michael Fair, vice president of channel and national account sales for Charter Business.