• by David Goetzl , June 6, 2006

HBO is going to the gym to promote the third season of comedy "Entourage." The pay cable network is airing episodes from last season on a closed-circuit network at locations of a New York workout chain, hoping the sampling will spur viewership for the new season launching June 11.

The season-two episodes will air on monitors throughout the workout areas at over 90 New York Sports Clubs, plus screens attached to individual machines like treadmills.

The campaign also includes in-club billboards and "Entourage"-related materials such as "cardio cards," and details about how to partake in a "Hollywood Workout."

To execute the campaign, HBO made a deal with Zoom Media, which owns media rights in gyms nationwide (over 500 in the top-30 markets). Zoom also offers marketing opportunities in bowling centers and indoor soccer facilities, as well as bars and restaurants.

HBO's "Entourage" efforts with Zoom also include billboards in Bally's gyms in New York and Los Angeles.

Dennis Roche, president of Zoom, said the programmer is targeting upscale, media-hungry trendsetters--"people who are going to talk about a show and get their friends to watch it and the gym-goers in those two big markets are the perfect audience for that."