In a gym, the screen is often the one thing everyone sees: at the front desk, above the treadmills, in the corridor to the changing rooms. It deserves more than a music channel. With Narrow.TV you put your own class timetable, offers and club news on those screens and change them from your browser, even when you are not at the club yourself.
What digital signage solves in a gym
- Members miss changes. A class that moves or an instructor who is off sick is posted in the app nobody opens. On the screen by the entrance, everyone sees it.
- Group classes and extras go unnoticed. Many members train on the same machines for years without knowing there is a bootcamp, personal training or nutrition advice.
- Noticeboards fill up. Flyers for offers that have long ended stay pinned up. A screen can be kept up to date in a few minutes.
- Member retention. A welcome for new members, congratulations for someone who has hit a goal (with their permission): it makes your club more personal.
What to show: ideas by location
At the front desk and entrance
- The group class timetable for today or this week, as text or as an image.
- A ticker with announcements: "7pm spin class cancelled", "Changed opening hours over the holidays".
- A clock with the date, so members can see whether they are still in time for their class.
- The weather template with the six-day forecast, handy if you run outdoor classes or bootcamps.
On the gym floor
- Exercise videos showing correct technique for, say, a deadlift or a squat, as your own video or via YouTube. Put the key coaching points on screen as text, because nobody hears sound over the music anyway.
- A slide per personal trainer with photo, specialism and how to book a session.
- A challenge of the month, for example "row 2,000 metres", with the rules.
In the corridor or by the changing rooms
- Offers: bring a friend, a deal on a 10-class pass, water bottles or supplements you sell, with a price table.
- Club news from a sports club: weekend results, the upcoming fixtures, the members' meeting.
- Vacancies for instructors, front desk staff or volunteers.
The class timetable on screen: how to go about it
For most gyms the timetable is the most important slide, and also the trickiest. Three approaches that work with Narrow.TV:
- As text in the editor. You put the day's classes in text blocks or in the price table (a heading per part of the day, a line per class with the time instead of a price). Easy to read and quick to change.
- As an image. Many scheduling programs can export or print a timetable. Turn that into an image (PNG or JPEG) and put it on a slide. You cannot upload PDF or PowerPoint, but an image works.
- Via a feed. If your timetable or membership system provides the classes as a JSON or XML/RSS feed, Narrow.TV can connect it for you and show the classes on your screen. This is not a self-service feature; Narrow.TV sets it up. Read more in your own data on your screens.
A full week's timetable in small print is unreadable from a distance. Show just today instead, or split the week over two slides. Each slide is on screen for 5 to 60 seconds; for a timetable, the longer end is sensible.
Example: a gym with three screens
A medium-sized gym with a gym floor and a group exercise studio could work like this:
- Screen 1, at the front desk (landscape): today's class timetable, ticker with announcements, clock and weather.
- Screen 2, above the cardio machines (landscape): exercise videos, trainers in the spotlight, the challenge of the month.
- Screen 3, in the corridor to the changing rooms (portrait): offers, products with prices, vacancies.
That is three digital signage screens, with a subscription per screen. Screens and Android players are not included in the subscription. Check the current prices to see what that costs. If you have a large wall in the gym, you can use several screens as one video wall for a single large video with the Combined view add-on; see video wall with Combined view.
Tips for screens in a sports environment
- Long opening hours. Many gyms are open from early till late. A screen built for that will last longer than a cheap consumer TV. More on that choice in which screen for digital signage.
- Mount it safely. Hang screens out of reach of weights, ropes and balls, especially in a studio or sports hall.
- Large letters, little text. Someone on a treadmill is reading from a few metres away while moving. One message per slide.
- Variety. Members see the same screen three times a week. Change offers and videos regularly, or nobody will look any more. Ideas can be found in content tips for digital signage.
- Think about privacy. Only show members by name or photo if they have given their permission.
Getting started
Put the Narrow.TV Player on an Android TV, or on an Android TV box or stick behind your existing screen. Create a screen in the dashboard, enter the pairing code and your first slides start playing. Start with the screen at the front desk using the free 30-day trial. If you want to show the timetable via a feed, get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
How do I put my gym's class timetable on a screen?
You create the timetable as text in the slide editor, or export it from your scheduling software as an image (for example PNG) and put it on a slide. PDF is not supported. When something changes, you replace the text or image in the dashboard.
Can I play exercise videos with sound in the gym?
Video plays without sound by default, but you can turn the sound on per video. In a gym with music you will usually leave it off and put the key instruction on screen as text.
Can the timetable come automatically from my membership system?
Not through a direct integration with a specific membership system. If your system provides the timetable as a JSON or XML/RSS feed, Narrow.TV can connect that feed for you. Get in touch to arrange it.
Which screen is suitable for a gym?
A screen that can stay on for long days, with Android TV or Google TV, or an ordinary screen with an Android TV box or stick.