Nike workouts become a Netflix series

Netflix has officially announced its expansion into the fitness world by partnering with Nike to turn Nike Training Club classes into a streaming series. More than 30 hours of workouts signed by Nike athletes and dedicated to both beginners and experts will be available starting Dec. 30, released in two different tranches, the second of which will be viewable on Netflix in 2023. The first part coming next week will include 45 episodes and will include basic fitness classes, two-week workout programs, yoga, classes on strength development, and so on. The workout series is an extension of the Nike Training Club app, which features the same workouts led by coaches certified by the Beaverton-based brand.

Netflix's decision to include fitness programs in its programming is smart - but also oddly vintage. Many readers born in the 1980s and 1990s will certainly remember the TV workouts of figures like Jill Cooper and Jane Fonda - and these Nike workouts are not so different after all. The signal Netflix is giving, however, is one of gradual diversification, producing content away from its core business of TV series, movies, and reality TV. Last year saw the introduction of content such as Netflix Games and a series of titles dedicated to meditation, and instead now, with the holidays and the big holiday feasts just days away, amid New Year's resolutions and a desire to burn off accumulated calories, come workouts. As Netflix itself said in a recent post:

«It’s not always easy to motivate yourself to exercise, but the option to feel the burn and then directly transition into one of your favorite shows does have a certain appeal. And now, that’s exactly what you can do».