• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, April 13, 2012

RMG Networks will have two fewer digital out-of-home networks to its name once it completes a planned divestiture of some big assets -- its Fitness network and NYTimes.com network. The sale of these two networks will allow the company to focus on its other DOOH networks, which reach businesspeople as they travel -- including displays in airplanes, airport lounges, taxis, Amtrak trains, and elsewhere -- according to the DailyDOOH blog.

The RMG Fitness network consists of around 6,000 digital screens in some 500 venues, including health club chains like Powerhouse Gyms, LA Fitness, and Lifetime Fitness. It was built around an original network created by IdeaCast, which was acquired by Danoo (now RMG) through a deal with National CineMedia back in 2009.

Launched in partnership with the iconic newspaper in March 2010, RMG’s NYTimes.com network was focused on coffee shops, delivering a combination of text and video content and advertising, including options for mobile interactivity. The NYTimes.com network launched in around 800 coffee shops and cafes in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco. Currently it is said to include around 600 locations with 600 screens, suggesting some venues may have dropped out.

RMG’s airline assets are substantial, including 110,000 in-flight-entertainment screens in Delta, United, Jet Blue, Virgin America, Frontier, and Alaska Airlines, according to the DailyDOOH, representing virtually all the seatback screens available on U.S. airlines. It also has screens in 4,000 taxis around the country, including Washington, D.C., Sacramento, and Denver.

The airport/airline out-of-home business seemed to be heating up: earlier this month. Titan announced that it is launching Titan Air, a new division that will pursue major-market airport contracts across the United States, according to the company. The airport space is currently dominated by incumbents including Clear Channel Airports and JC Decaux Airport Inc.