Bresnan Communications

Bresnan Communications
Company type	Private
Industry	Cable television
Founded	1984
Founder	William Bresnan
Defunct	2010
Fate	Acquired by Cablevision and rebranded as Optimum West; later assets acquired by Charter Communications
Headquarters	United States
Area served	Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Georgia, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Chile, Poland
Key people	William Bresnan (founder)
Owner	Providence Equity Partners (majority), Comcast and Quadrangle Group (minority)

Bresnan Communications was a U.S.-based cable television company established in 1984 by William Bresnan. The business began its operations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and, over a span of 14 years, expanded its footprint into Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Georgia. In 1994, Bresnan extended its reach internationally by launching ventures in Chile and Poland under the name Bresnan International Partners. The subscriber base grew to 400,000 following the acquisition of cable systems from TCI. After AT&T purchased TCI, Bresnan intended to go public but was instead acquired by Charter Communications for $3.1 billion, with its U.S. cable assets integrated into Charter’s portfolio.

In 2002, Bresnan reestablished its presence by purchasing former AT&T Broadband systems in the Rocky Mountain region from Comcast for $735 million. This transaction added roughly 300,000 subscribers in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

After the passing of founder William Bresnan in 2009, the majority owner Providence Equity Partners sought to sell the company; minority owners included Comcast and Quadrangle Group. By 2010, Bresnan served approximately 320,000 customers across the United States. On June 13, 2010, Cablevision acquired the company for $1.37 billion and rebranded it as Optimum West. Subsequently, in February 2013, Charter Communications purchased these former Bresnan assets for $1.625 billion.

See also