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Netflix, Amazon and Hulu have built their original programming on the something-for-everyone model — dramas, comedies, feature films, documentaries, children’s shows, international, etc. — but one genre they’ve all avoided like a pre-dawn kickboxing class is exercise videos.
Why doesn’t Netflix have a Billy Blanks cardio series? Why isn’t P90X a Hulu exclusive?
“They don’t know how to do it,” fitness guru Jillian Michaels says. “If you don’t know fitness — if you don’t understand it, what drives it, what makes it profitable — you have no business being in the space.”
Michaels sat down with Decider to talk about why her FitFusion streaming service is attracting investment capital and growing its subscriber base, why the big streaming services have avoided fitness videos altogether, and why so many startup competitors have failed to get in shape with similar services.
DECIDER: Has the exercise DVD market followed the same downward trajectory over the last several years as the rest of the DVD market?
JILLIAN MICHAELS: Exercise DVD sales have declined dramatically.
Is that because consumers have shifted to streaming for exercise videos?
There’s a ton of exercise on streaming and a lot out there for free. The problem is that the talents out there on YouTube are hidden among garbage. You’re searching for a needle in a haystack.
What’s the marketplace for exercise on streaming?
There have been a lot of attempts. There was CosmoBody, and it went out of business. There’s Beachbody on Demand, and they just laid off a ton of employees. There are a lot of other sites that aren’t working, and they reason they aren’t working — in my opinion — is that they don’t have big-name trainers. FitFusion has been successful because it’s about personality. We’ve got the Tone It Up girls, we’ve Cassey Ho, we’ve got Tara Stiles, we’ve got myself — a lot of other brand-name trainers.
You see that in the interface, too. Everything is selectable by trainer.
Exactly. It’s all about the trainer.
Considering how much lower the license fee would be for Netflix or Amazon to develop an exercise line than an original scripted series, why haven’t they done it yet?
They don’t know how to do it. Comcast tried with Radius Fitness, and it was a huge flop. They used totally unknown trainers, and it didn’t work. CBS is trying it with TrainerPass, which launched last year, and a lot of those trainers are already looking for new places for their content. If you don’t know fitness — if you don’t understand it, what drives it, what makes it profitable — you have no business being in the space. We offer FitFusion on Amazon Channels, which is a good platform. We’re on a lot of those platforms — we’re on Amazon, we’re on Apple TV, we’re on Comcast — but who knows where the business going in the future.
“If you don’t know fitness — if you don’t understand it, what drives it, what makes it profitable — you have no business being in the space.”
What’s the typical use case? People find three videos and watch them over and over again, or people are always trying new routines?
People try new things all the time. We can see what videos people are watching, how long they’re watching, gauge which trainers are the most popular, etc., and that’s helping us make decisions about what to expand on the platform. People don’t want just one thing; they want a lot things. I think the reason Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple Music and other streaming platforms are working so well is that they give you access to basically everything.
Do you see FitFusion sticking to video, or are you planning on developing licensed apparel, books, meet-ups, etc.?
We want to be able to manage the talent by bringing them influencer and licensing deals, but that’s five steps beyond where we are right now. We want to complete this funding round, blow out or marketing, continue making a land grab for subscribers and make more original content.
Did the FitFusion launch earlier this year?
We’ve been around for a few years, but we’re growing more now because we’ve been able to make the investment in platforms and marketing.
Are your new subscribers coming mostly from your app getting billboarded on Amazon Channels, Apple TV and other platforms? Are they coming from marketing?
They’re coming from the advertising that we’re doing — particularly on Facebook and on YouTube.
What else are you doing yourself right now?
I have the Jillian Michaels app that’s doing very well on iOS and Android in particular. I have a book out called Yeah Baby! about fit pregnancy, and I’m working on a book now about anti-aging. I’m doing podcast appearances, TV appearances, clothing lines, supplement lines, etc., but that stuff isn’t nearly as interesting to me as what’s happening on digital platforms right now. Aside from my own projects, I’m investing in Thrive Market, Flywheel Sports, Popchips — better-for-you brands that are growing and where we see a bigger return when they sell.
What monthly subscription products do you use?
I’m old. [Laughs.] I don’t piece together my entertainment the way a lot of millennials do, so I have a cable bill and and watch HBO, Showtime and FX. I have a Netflix subscription. I’m not subscribing to a music platform, but I’ve been thinking about Apple Music. I’m from a different generation and still think in terms of owning my music, but I think Apple Music is getting more and more interesting.
What do you think when you see stories about Biggest Loser contestants who lost a lot of weight on the show gaining it all back?
The reality is that 90-something percent of people who lose a lot of weight put it back on, and it has everything to do with why they became obese in the first place. When people engage in unhealthy, destructive behaviors, those things become coping mechanisms. When you go back home, you go back to the issues that caused those behaviors. You have to get to the bottom of why you’re eating and why you need that coping mechanism.
Have you stayed in touch with any of those people?
I’m still close to one former contestant who gained back her weight. I said, “Can you honestly tell me you’re only eating 2,000 calories a day?” No. “Are you moving your body four times a week?” No. “So let’s try that.” And she did, and she made changes, and she lost 80 pounds in six months. You have to make changes. Some people come back from the show and don’t have the time or the tools or the support system to make those changes, and a lot of those people need a therapist who can help them through the issues that are why they had the weight.
Are outlets like exercise apps and meditation apps making it more feasible for people to change their habits?
It provides people the tools, but the motivation to use the tools is on them. People have to want to use those tools. Becoming healthy is simple science, but it’s not an easy thing to do.
Scott Porch writes about the streaming-media industry for Decider and is also a contributing writer for Playboy. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottPorch.
