Fitness TV, a new 24/7 exercise
channel, is set to launch on Sky in
September, with a supporting website
similarly to a health club’s, depending on Luan Underwood, managing director or work has screwed up your times to
the length of membership required. of Media Fitness, the fi rm behind Fitness get to the gym – it’s a support mechanism
Wexer.com also earns commission from TV, also has ambitious plans to surpass that allows you to keep being active.”
the sales of at-home exercise products 250,000 viewers a week in the fi rst six The Fitness TV channel is supported
via its online marketplace area, and will months, building up to 600,000 by the by an online platform that offers users
soon also offer add-on services to end of year one. These fi gures were listings of local sports clubs and gyms,
members, such as one-to-one nutritional benchmarked against pilates-based and will also link up with advertising
counselling and personal training. website and TV channel Body in Balance, health clubs to offer free day passes to
In the six weeks since it launched, as well as UK Food, which attracts 1.2 encourage viewers, and their families, to
Wexer.com accumulated 2,500 members million viewers a week. trial their offerings.
from more than 40 countries, and Underwood strongly believes it’s
Ingerslev is confi dent this will increase complementary providers about partnerships: “Health clubs need
quickly. “A clear benefi t of our online These services may seem to represent to encourage more people to go to the
health club is the scalability, which is competition for health clubs, but most gym, as well as retain their members,
unlike brick and mortar health clubs – online operators stand firm in saying and we [virtual fi tness clubs] need to
and the risk is much lower,” he explains. that fitness websites and TV channels encourage that fi rst step. For instance,
“I don’t have to sign up for a long-term are supplementary to gyms. Wexer.com if exercisers are overweight or nervous
lease, invest in equipment or fi nd more and feelfit.com, for instance, offer about training in public, we try to build
staff if I want to add 10,000 members. I white-label versions of their sites to their confi dence in the privacy of their
just add server capacity.” clubs, to help with retention levels by home until they’re ready to take that
However, as online clubs are a supporting members outside the gym. next step and perhaps join a gym.”
volume-driven business, Wexer.com Underwood agrees: “Fitness TV will Worthy also sees value in offering an
needs a substantial number of members never be a substitute for a health club online membership as a ‘save solution’:
with a behaviour that generates a because it lacks the one-to-one focus “If you’re going to lose a member at £40
micro-turnover per member to make you get from a club environment. a month, would you not rather keep
a profi t, and to reach its target of “The irony of the channel is that we them at £6 a month, and have some form
breaking even within two years. The don’t want people to be stuck in front of interaction with them – as well as
VirtualGym TV business, on the other of the TV. We want them to get active generating at least some revenue – than
hand, has already broken even seven within the community, in sports clubs, have them go to a cheaper competitor?”
months after launching, with audience for example; I fi rmly believe there’s an
fi gures around 65,000 and a target of activity for everyone. Fitness TV should caroline wilkinson
circa 300,000 by the end of the year. be used when you can’t fi nd a babysitter, healthclub@leisuremedia.com
august 2009 © cybertrek 2009 Read Health Club Management online 41
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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