LA Fitness recently entered into a media partnership with Zoom Media & Marketing, one of the largest companies in the fast-emerging digital out-of-home sector. LA Fitness joins Zoom’s Digital Fitness Network, which, according to Nielsen, reaches over 30 million adult viewers per month. With over 330 locations across the United States and Canada, LA Fitness increases Zoom’s health club network to more than 1,600 venues in the U.S. and 2,500 globally.
As a longtime LA Fitness member, I have frequently thought about the benefits the company would realize in partnering with a digital out-of-home media provider. Much of my thinking centered on the fact that nearly all LA Fitness locations have big box TVs hanging from their ceilings. Whereas the majority of health clubs have transitioned to flat panel televisions throughout their facilities, with many installing personal displays on cardio machines, LA Fitness has stuck to the good old CRT TVs from our youths.
Even though the installation of new televisions across LA Fitness locations was not mentioned in the press release touting the media partnership, I would bet that such an arrangement is part of the long-term deal. It’s not likely to happen overnight, but I would be shocked if flat panel TVs didn’t start finding their way into key LA Fitness sites. I just about guarantee that Zoom Media will be subsidizing the cost of the health club company’s future entertainment improvements.