Hot on the heels of the debut of the Google Pixel Watch 3 during August 13’s Made by Google event, Google Fitbit and Peloton have announced a “multi-year partnership” with benefits to subscribers of either platforms.
Starting in early September, Fitbit users will get access to a limited number of fitness classes from Peloton. Fitbit Premium subscribers will get access to classes from 10 different “modalities” (read: fitness disciplines), including Peloton’s iconic cycling classes.
There’s no word how interactive these classes will be, or whether these classes will be live: many of the leaderboard metrics on the live classes generally depend on owning a Peloton Tread or Peloton Bike. TechRadar has reached out to Peloton for comment.
Otherwise, Strength, Pilates, Running, Boxing, Barre, and more will be included, and new content will be added to the app “incrementally”. Even users of Fitbit’s free tier will get access to some limited Peloton content.
Peloton owners who don’t yet subscribe to Fitbit Premium or use Fitbit devices aren’t left out, as they will have access to “special Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit Charge 6 device offers”.
The Peloton classes will be available to Fitbit Premium members in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Analysis: Can two slumping services make for a great partnership?
It’s always good to see more stuff get added to a service you pay for. As we found out during a deep dive into the company, Peloton is less of a hardware company these days than a content company.
Its chief focus is its workout classes, and despite the slumping sales, device recalls and negative press it’s had since Covid, its workout classes are always incredibly well-produced from Peloton Studios and slickly presented by a bevy of glamorous instructors. You won’t find better live classes anywhere.
Fitbit has also had its fair share of woes over the years, from features being removed to its own devices being recalled, even to accusations of leaking confidential health data.
But Fitbit Premium is a great service, and adding Peloton content to this platform (and throwing free users a bone) is only going to make it even better. Time will tell whether this partnership will revive either service, although they’ll be hard-pressed to regain the stations they once held.
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