• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 20, 2011

Zoom Media and Marketing, which operates a network of digital and static signage reaching health clubs and nightlife spots, has partnered with three more fitness chains around the world. It has added hundreds of venues to its existing global network, concentrated in North America and Europe.

The new fitness chain deals include an expanded partnership with GoodLife Fitness, the largest fitness chain in Canada with 275 venues. GLF already had Zoom static signage; it has now selected Zoom as its exclusive provider of digital media and advertising.

Zoom plans to roll out its "Flexcast" digital signage system to most of these venues over the next year, tailored and customized to reflect the GLF brand. Like Zoom's other fitness chain partners, GLF will use the DO network to communicate health and wellness tips and highlight the latest promotions and in-club activities.

Zoom also signed a deal with Cardinal Fitness, a U.S. fitness chain with 56 branches nationally, concentrated in the Chicago DMA, where it operates 46 venues. The addition of Cardinal, along with established partnerships with Bally and LA Fitness, would appear to give Zoom a dominant position in the Chicago health club market.

Finally, in the U.K., Zoom struck a deal with The Gym Group, which counts 20 venues around Britain.

Altogether, the new partners bring 350 new DO venues into the Zoom health club network, for a total of over 3,000 "digitized" health club venues worldwide -- including 1,750 with DO displays in the U.S., 800 in the U.K., and 400 in Canada.

In addition to installing digital signage where necessary, Zoom manages the entertainment and communication systems and delivers national and local video ads, making it something of a rarity in the fitness DO marketplace. Zoom is also unusual in that it offers both audio ads (over loudspeakers) and non-audio ads via its digital displays.