Virgin Media offers customers access to free fitness content

As people battle to keep their New Year Resolutions on track for another week or two, it seems that on-demand fitness is emerging as a key competitive arena for platforms. In the UK, for example, cable operator VirginMedia has announced that audiences now have access to 80 free fitness classes via its Virgin TV service.  

David Bouchier

The classes on offer require minimal to no equipment, making them accessible for all fitness levels, and are led by experts at Nuffield Health, Fiit and Fit at Home. To access the classes, Virgin TV customers head to channel 999 or can tune in when it suits them via On Demand or Catch Up. The workouts are available to all Virgin TV customers across TiVo, V6, TV 360 and Stream at no extra cost.

David Bouchier, chief TV and entertainment officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “Trying to keep fit whilst juggling everyday demands and the current financial pressures can be challenging. That’s why we’re offering our customers free fitness sessions via Virgin TV to provide a convenient and cost-effective way to exercise at home.”

Virgin Media rival Sky has already identified fitness as a potential growth market, and offers its subscribers easy access to subscription services such as Peleton. In the US, Comcast Xfinity has just kicked off its new Free This Week offering with no-cost access to wellness apps such as The Great Courses, Gaia, One Day University, Gaiam TV, Sweat Factor and FitFusion by Jillian Michaels.

Online/on-demand fitness content experienced a spike in usage during the Covid-19 pandemic and is still enjoying blistering growth. In March 2022, a report from The Business Research Company (TBRC) predicted that the global online/virtual fitness market will grow from $16.5bn in 2022 to around $79bn in 2026.