• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 3, 2009

Competition in the gym is going global, at least for digital out-of-home video companies. Zoom Media has acquired Gym Screen Media -- or Gym TV for short -- a DO network serving fitness venues in the U.K. The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions and alliances between DO networks and fitness clubs, until now mostly confined to the U.S.

According to Zoom Media, Gym TV operates a DO network reaching 160 venues across the U.K., bringing Zoom's network of U.K. fitness venues to a total of over 650, and its global network to over 2,200, including almost 2,000 in the U.S. and Canada.

Zoom has been steadily rolling up fitness venues over the last year. In September 2008, it acquired ClubCom, which operates digital displays in 1,600 health and fitness clubs around the world, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan and Australia. In October 2008, it announced a deal to create a customized DO network for Bally Total Fitness called Bally TV.

Then in January of this year, Zoom announced it had raised about $30 million to fund new acquisitions, which have continued at a steady clip. In May it acquired the Wellness Health Education Network, a subscription-based service operating digital signage in 255 U.S. fitness clubs. Two months ago, Zoom created a national sales staff for the U.K.

Of course, Zoom isn't alone in targeting gyms and health clubs, whose fitness-minded patrons tend to be younger, better-educated and more affluent than the average American (or Brit).

In July, the Health Club Media Network acquired the Alloy Fitness Network from Alloy Media & Marketing, bringing its total network of health club signage to about 4,700 venues, reaching 15 million health club patrons per month. While most of Alloy's signage in fitness venues were static displays, HCMN CEO Ken Williams said the company is focused on upgrading static displays to digital.

Also in July, Danoo (now called Reach Media Group) acquired IdeaCast, which operates a digital network reaching "captive audiences" in health clubs and aboard airplanes.