iFIT already has over 6 million members, but the connected fitness giant still has its foot on the gas pedal, recently hiring Jeremy McCarty as its new chief subscription officer amid a push to continue growing its subscriber base.
A former executive with EchoStar, the parent company of Dish Network and Boost Mobile, McCarty will lean on his experience across the telecom, wireless and smart home industries as he looks to lead a new strategic vision for iFIT’s subscription business.
“This consumer-first approach showed me that great subscription businesses don’t just offer access – they deliver ongoing value that becomes an essential part of people’s lives,” McCarty told Athletech News. “At iFIT, we plan to build on our incredible foundation by deepening our connection with athletes, better understanding their fitness journeys and creating personalized experiences that help them reach their goals.”
ATN spoke with McCarty to see how he’s planning to grow iFIT’s subscription business to new heights in the years ahead, including through leveraging AI and adding new types of immersive fitness content.
Last year, iFIT launched AI Coach, an artificial intelligence tool that recommends workouts and helps people stick to their fitness goals through daily text message and in-app communications.
While AI Coach is still in beta mode, the tool already appears to be paying dividends when it comes to member engagement and retention. According to iFIT, its members who use AI Coach do 2.4 times more workouts on the platform than those who don’t, while AI Coach members are nearly 20% more likely to stick to their fitness goals.
“The next evolution is about making every workout smarter and deeply personalized to each athlete,” McCarty says. “We’ll be leveraging AI and big-data models to help us achieve this behind the scenes for our athletes – so every workout feels like it was made just for them.”
Looking ahead, iFIT plans to continue upgrading AI Coach as it gets more data on member behaviors and preferences. It’s also planning to launch AI Coach in international markets later this spring (the service is currently only available in the United States).
New Partnerships Bring in New Consumers
iFIT has been highly active on the partnerships front during McCarty’s tenure with the brand, which began in February.
Last month, the Utah-based fitness brand partnered with cardio gaming content provider Ergatta to bring a gamified, virtual racing experience to iFIT’s NordicTrack and ProForm line of treadmills and rowers. The partnership allows iFIT Pro members to race virtually, competing with themselves, other members or iFIT trainers.
McCarty says partnerships like these show how iFIT is thinking outside of the box when it comes to serving members with new types of fitness content.
“We’re first-to-market with a game like this for the treadmill. One of the things that we love about the Ergatta platform is that there is a very social aspect to it,” he adds. “The feedback we’ve gotten from our athletes has been overwhelmingly positive; we see other examples of that coming in the future for other modalities.”
In another major partnership struck last month, iFIT and NordicTrack launched the world’s first officially licensed Tour de France indoor bike. To complement the partnership, iFIT has created Tour de France-inspired content including sessions with professional coaches and cyclists.
“We’ve also done some things to modify the Tour de France bike to more closely simulate the types of bikes you would use in that type of race,” McCarty notes.
Content Stays Top of Mind
iFIT will also continue building out what McCarty calls its “best-in-class destination content” offering. The fitness brand’s current library allows members to stream instructor-led workouts from virtual locales like Mount Everest, Costa Rica and Hawaii.
Through a partnership with Google Maps, iFIT members can create their own map-based workouts from just about anywhere in the world and follow along on-screen.
While iFIT is best known for its cardio-machine content, McCarty stresses that the brand will also continue to add “off-equipment” content across popular modalities like strength training, yoga and Pilates to offer a complete fitness experience for its members, including those who are app-only.
“We have a wide range of off-equipment (content), including yoga, Pilates and strength workouts; this is probably one of our best-kept secrets,” he notes. “But you’ll see a lot more content in that regard.”
Between AI Coach, gamification and an ever-growing content library, McCarty believes iFIT can continue winning subscribers in a highly competitive market for connected and digital fitness.
“Our vision for iFIT’s subscription business is to create the world’s most effective fitness platform to help our athletes live longer, happier lives,” he adds. “We do this by offering a truly personalized, results-driven fitness experience – one that seamlessly integrates into our members’ lives and helps them achieve their health and wellness goals in a meaningful way.”
