Fitness DVDs and Streaming: Where Is the Home Workout Industry Headed?

Recent Trends in the Home Fitness Industry

Recently, the fitness industry has seen an explosion of interest in home workouts. People can get fit in the privacy of their own home, without judgment, and on their own schedules. Convenience, it is hoped, will lead to greater fitness. "An estimated 311 million Americans have health club memberships — bringing in about $2.6 billion annually. The only problem is, according to varying estimates, between 8 and 67% actually go to the gym. Many people feel they don't have the time or the money to spend on gym memberships to get or stay in shape" (Massey). The concept of what it means to "work out" has radically changed in recent years with the intensification of home workout programs and their diversification.

Traditionally, the primary delivery format for most at-home fitness programs has been DVDs. A number of successful workout series have been delivered in this format, including Insanity and P90X. However, as fewer consumers are using DVDs for entertainment, new delivery methods for home workouts have emerged, including streaming video (Kaczanowska 1). Even so, "although electronic publication is forecast to expand rapidly in the next five years," most industry analysts believe "that most fitness videos will continue to be purchased in physical format" (Kaczanowska 1).

Several major trends have emerged: a shift toward more intense workouts marketed as brands, such as Insanity; a move toward interactive and ever-changing workout formats, as embodied by the streaming yoga website YogaGlo; and an expansion of the types of workouts offered, including those targeted to specialized audiences such as children and older adults. In general, although interest in streaming has increased, DVD sales are likely to remain strong, and a combined approach — selling both DVDs and streaming subscriptions — is advisable for companies wishing to enter this marketplace.

High-Intensity DVD Programs: Insanity and Its Cousins

The desire for fast results has driven an explosion of high-intensity workouts that promise rapid transformation. "The names say it all: Insanity, Extreme, Get Ripped in 30. The workouts aren't for the faint of heart. Today's consumer wants the maximum amount of exertion in the shortest amount of time" (Perez & Tressel). For those who stick with the program, these workouts often deliver results — including weight loss of as much as 25 lbs. in 60 days, according to one consumer. The ability to purchase "the next level" in many of these workout series adds further appeal. However, alongside the weight-loss results, there has also been growing publicity about injury rates associated with these programs, all of which require "explosive jumping, squatting and lunging" (Perez & Tressel). Still, the idea that "quicker is better" remains a powerful draw for consumers.

There is credible scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of such approaches. "A growing body of evidence demonstrates that high-intensity interval training (HIT) can serve as an effective alternative to traditional endurance-based training, inducing similar or even superior physiological adaptations in healthy individuals and diseased populations, at least when compared on a matched-work basis" (Gibala et al.). In other words, working out for shorter periods at higher intensity can promote significant fitness gains. Insanity, for example, features 45-minute workouts that are extremely intense. The DVD format encourages consumers to progress through the program in a linear fashion, building on their skills — and despite using this "older" format, these programs have become one of the most talked-about trends in the fitness industry today.

The Rise of Streaming Fitness Content

Although the DVD market remains strong, streaming fitness content is growing rapidly in popularity. "GaiamTV.com is testing the waters, but their site is cluttered and the majority of their content is recycled titles. Lion's Gate has a YouTube channel called BeFit that's free, but neither company is taking full advantage of the true power of streaming" (Bendewald). New entrants in the industry include DailyBurn, a company that does not manufacture DVDs at all and focuses purely on streaming content.

Streaming offers the advantage of subscription-based access, ensuring that content always feels fresh to users. One of the recurring problems with fitness DVDs is that they can quickly become tedious when done repetitively. Insanity and P90X attempt to address this by offering multiple DVD packages, but even then, once a program is completed, users often wonder what to do next. Streaming, by contrast, enables a constant rotation of new content and allows users to tailor each session to their needs, providing greater variation between hard and easy days. "But the biggest advantage to streaming workout videos lies in something we do every day: the ability to interact. We update our Facebook pages with photos, friends post comments, we ask questions, add new links and post notices for special occasions. Information can be updated as needed in real time. The same is true with fitness videos" (Bendewald). Many streaming services are linked to online fitness communities, and the ability to select content and interact with others adds to the overall appeal of the workout experience.

Streaming also allows users to access workouts led by top celebrity trainers from across the country, rather than being limited to whoever is available locally. Within certain fitness communities — such as yoga practitioners — this can be particularly attractive, since it enables users to follow a highly regarded teacher based in San Francisco even if they live in New York. Yoga is one area where this trend has been especially pronounced: "According to a 2012 study by Yoga Journal, 20.4 million Americans practice yoga, compared to 15.8 million in 2008, an increase of 29%. Fitness clubs, studios and yoga practitioners have increased spending on yoga classes and products, including equipment, clothing, vacations, and media, to $10.3 billion a year — up from $5.7 billion in 2008" (Ning). To meet this demand, streaming services such as MyYogaOnline offer access to 1,000 yoga, Pilates, and fitness videos for a subscription of $9.95 per month (Ning).

Despite the advantages of streaming, there are also certain drawbacks. Some users prefer repeating workouts multiple times until they fully master them. "Although many electronic videos are much cheaper than those on discs, many consumers do not have internet streaming available on their TVs and are unwilling to compromise video quality during their workout. Also, discs seem more tangible and permanent than video on demand, increasing their perceived value to consumers" (Kaczanowska 7).

Conclusion

The hard copy DVD faces considerable competition in both the mainstream and yoga markets from streaming services. However, straightforward fitness DVD purchases remain common and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Segmentation has become pervasive within the market, spanning from increasingly intense programs for those who want to "get ripped fast" to DVDs specifically targeting demographics such as Baby Boomers and children.

As time grows ever shorter and concerns about obesity continue to mount, interest in convenient at-home workouts is likely to escalate. A core constituency of consumers still wishes to purchase the majority of their self-directed fitness content on physical media. To leverage both markets, one viable approach is to offer both DVDs and subscription-based streaming services. The demographics likely to be attracted to each format — those seeking structured programs versus those seeking variety, as well as niche audiences such as older adults — are likely to differ considerably, making a dual-format strategy a logical path forward for companies in this industry.

References

Bendewald, M. "The Last DVD Holdout: How Online Video Is Revolutionizing the Home Fitness Industry." Megamace Fitness. [19 Feb 2014] http://megamace.com/online-video-fitness-industry

Gibala, M. et al. "Physiological Adaptations to Low-Volume, High-Intensity Interval Training in Health and Disease." The Journal of Physiology, 590 (2012): 1077–1084. [19 Feb 2014] http://jp.physoc.org/content/590/5/1077.full

Kaczanowska, Agata. "No Sweat: Fitness DVDs Have Been Banking on Their Celebrity Trainers and Cheaper Formats." IBIS World. November 2012.

Massey, Bob. "Online Sites Are the Latest Trends in Fitness." Feeling Fit. [19 Feb 2014] http://feelingfit.com/dietandfitness/topic/13471-20/story

Ning, Tina. "The Growth of Online Yoga and Fitness." Lohas. [19 Feb 2014] http://blog.lohas.com/blog/lohas-trends/the-growth-of-online-yoga-and-fitness

Perez, S. & Tressel, C. "ABC Healthbeat Report: Exercise to the Extreme." ABC. 2012. [19 Feb 2014] http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health&id=8647701