Vancouver’s Omnifilm Entertainment is flexing new muscles as it expands its direct-to-consumer (DTC) fitness platform globally.

The prodco, best known for its natural history work before moving into lifestyle and scripted content, has received CAVCO certification for its subscription-based fitness channel Movement by NM. The platform, founded in 2020, mixes training videos with short documentaries on fitness and healthy living.

The certification allows Omnifilm to trigger tax credits and additional funding for in-house productions. The prodco will look at commissioning original content from outside producers in the future after it establishes a wider global subscriber base, according to Amanda June Giannakos, director of marketing and distribution at Omnifilm and founder and managing director of Movement by NM

“We saw an opportunity to essentially have a startup within Omnifilm,” says Giannakos, who notes that the platform fills a “gap in the market,” using its expertise in unscripted content to mix documentary storytelling with a library of fitness classes.

Movement by NM also allows Omnifilm to create its own DTC business model and, in turn, a new revenue stream for the company. The digital fitness market is expected to reach nearly $80 billion globally by 2026, according to Omnifilm.

The prodco has also received a grant from the Creative Export Canada program to finance a marketing push for Movement by NM to expand into the U.S. and “enhance its platform,” according to a news release. The platform has already had a soft launch in the U.S., with a harder promotion push to come.

While specific subscriber figures were not available as of press time, Giannakos says the platform saw a 60% membership growth in 2021, with subscribers from more than 90 countries, including France, Australia and Finland.

The platform has also seen a higher level of engagement from users compared to competitors such as Peloton, says Giannakos. Subscribers on Movement by NM use approximately 15 to 20 classes per month, according to Omnifilm, compared to the average 14 to 15 classes by Peloton users, reported in the company’s 2022 year-end financial results.

“We’re offering a different type of experience than what people are used to [on fitness platforms], and it’s something that’s resonating with Canadians… as well as internationally,” says Giannakos.

The move to DTC is one part of a larger strategy for Omnifilm to keep up with a rapidly changing industry after more than 40 years of operations.

“We’re very vertically integrated. We do our own unscripted and scripted development, we have our own post-production facility, we have a distribution company, and now recently really investing into attracting service production,” says Giannakos. “I think Omnifilm is really positioning itself as an innovator. We’re in a great position right now where we’re firing on all cylinders and it’s a really exciting time at the company.”

Image courtesy of Omnifilm Entertainment