Topline
Spectrum operator Charter Communications and Cox closed their $34.5 billion deal to merge into a single cable giant on Thursday, and announced Cox customers can expect access to Spectrum plans beginning in mid-September.
The massive cable merger first announced in 2025 cleared its final regulatory hurdle in California last week.
Associated Press
Key Facts
Charter was already the largest cable provider in the country with 31 million customers, and after merging with Cox’s 6 million customers the new company will serve 37 million across 45 states.
Charter acquired the privately-owned Cox with a combination of stock and $4 billion in cash, in a deal valued at roughly $34.5 billion.
The company also purchased Liberty Broadband, the company that had an ownership stake in Charter owned by billionaire “Cable Cowboy” John Malone, in an all-stock deal.
The new company will be called Cox Communications, and Charter’s former president and CEO Chris Winfrey will continue as CEO of the new company.
The closure came one week after the companies cleared the last legal hurdle, when the California Public Utilities Commission voted to approve the deal after the companies guaranteed consumer protections and investment to expand broadband access for customers in the Golden State.
What Does This Mean For Consumers?
All of Cox’s 6 million customers will have access to Spectrum by mid-September, the company said on Thursday, including Spectrum Internet and Spectrum Mobile, as well as video bundles for live television and streaming services. The new company is also offering former Cox Internet customers a free mobile line for one year, provided they were not already subscribed to Cox Mobile, according to a press release on Thursday. As part of a deal with the California Public Utilities Commission, the new company also agreed to adopt consumer protection policies, including automatic bill credits for outages lasting more than 2 hours and ending equipment exchange fees for residential cable customers. The company also promised to invest $275 million to upgrade California’s cable network, and provide free Wi-Fi for 50 local schools, libraries and community centers for the next five years.
Forbes Valuation
Cox was formerly owned by Cox Enterprises, the company owned by the billionaire Cox family. The family, worth $38 billion, was listed as one of Forbes’ richest in America in 2026. Cox Enterprises is also the parent company of Cox Automotive, which owns Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. The company also owns the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We value Malone’s net worth at $11.4 billion. The billionaire became famous as the “Cable Cowboy” for his massive media deals over the last few decades, and invested in Charter through Liberty Broadband in 2013. In a statement on Thursday, Malone said the merger “creates a stronger, more competitive company to further invest and innovate, while giving Liberty Broadband shareholders a direct interest in its future.”
Key Background
Charter and Cox announced the merger deal in May 2025, although it faced several regulatory reviews from states and the federal government. The Federal Communications Commission officially greenlit the merger in February, after receiving guarantees from Charter that it would commit to onshore all of Cox’s offshore jobs back to the U.S. within the next 18 months. It also committed to providing a $20 per hour minimum wage for its employees, and agreed to provide them with access to the federal government’s “Trump accounts” as benefits. More controversially, the company agreed to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, aligning with the Trump administration’s crusade against the practices.