Netflix is synonymous with a number of things. But say what you will about its stock price, or the quality of its original content or its place in the streaming wars, it's very arguable that the thing its most known for in the public’s imagination is popularizing the binge watch.
Scarfing down several episodes of your favorite comfort food show after a long day is a nice way to unwind, of course. And who among us hasn’t burned through the latest season of, say, “Stranger Things” in a weekend? What? We’re supposed to pace ourselves or something? And how many of us heard tales over the holidays that our nieces were on their third viewing of “Wednesday,” and promised we’d get to it soon?
But while there is no doubt binge watching can be a blast, let’s be real: sitting on your couch for hours at a time isn’t necessarily the healthiest activity.
We’re not body shaming or nagging anyone, but it's a good idea to break up the binge with some exercise from time to time.
If you made a New Year’s resolution to try to exercise more often, but don’t necessarily like going to the gym (some people feel pressured by the environment, or don’t want to take the time to drive over) then Netflix (NFLX) has some good news for you.
Netflix Wants To See You Sweat
Netflix has teamed up with Nike to offer you ten classes and more than 30 hours of “motivating exercise sessions.” Best of all, it’s at no extra charge to you, and it’s available right now.
The classes are part of the Nike Training Club program, featuring exercise instructors guiding you through yoga, high-intensity interval training, and core work.
Just type in fitness, and you’ll see exercise classes such as “Two Weeks To A Stronger Core,” “Hit & Strength With Tara,” “30 Minute Workouts” and “Fall In Love With Vinyasa.”
Most classes are around 12 episodes or so, and there’s plenty of ten-minute classes if you are in a hurry or easing yourself into things. And if you haven’t worked out in a while, then perhaps you might consider “Kickstart Fitness With The Basics,” featuring the very motivational stylings of instructor Alex Piccirilli, who is more than happy to walk you through a variety of lunges and squats.
A second batch of classes is due later this year, according to Deadline.
Image source: Shutterstock
Netflix Is Taking On Apple
While it’s nice that Netflix is concerned about its customers' health, there’s a lot going on behind this move.
The company famously had its worst year ever in 2022, but after two quarters of losses, it managed to claw its way back and gained 2.4 million subscribers in the third quarter of last year, and at last report had 223 million subscribers worldwide. But Disney and HBO Max continue to breathe down its neck, so it can't just sit still.
Netflix has been experimenting with new avenues to bring in customers, including mobile games and trivia challenges. With Netflix announcing that it is pumping the brakes, a bit, on its constant content spending this Nike deal is a relatively low cost way to maintain customer loyalty.
Additionally, wellness and exercise is one of the most popular sectors in the world (Statista forecasted it is expected to exceed $32 billion U.S. dollars for 2022), and plenty of streaming companies want a piece.
While Disney hasn’t introduced a “Mickey Mouse Does Cross Fit” show (yet) there are several exercise classes to be found on Amazon Prime Video (some are free, some are paid), and YouTube is filed with exercise classes, some just from enthusiasts, others made by people hoping you will join their local gym. The exercise streaming class Beachbody on Demand (which recently renamed itself BODi) is one of the most well-known, thanks to the popularity of star Tony Horton.
(Of course, fitness is a tricky industry and prone to upheaval based on people's shifting tastes. While many wise guys have made jokes on Twitter about the availability of used Peloton machines of late, that’s probably the least of the company’s problems, as it was recently hit with a $19 million fine for unsafe treadmills.)
But the biggest exercise streaming platform for a company that’s not synonymous with fitness is no doubt Apple Fitness+, which features classes in nearly every style of exercise you could think of, as well as some mindfulness course, and which is now included in the premier tier of the Apple One bundle.
So Netflix introducing these Nike classes is yet another sign that it’s not going to sit around and let (relative) streaming upstarts like Apple go unchallenged. And unlike Apple, Netflix’s main selling point for its classes is that subscribers don’t have to pay extra.
