How FressiTV brings live classes and on-demand workouts into one membership platform
Finnish fitness brand Fressi has been using Castr since 2020 to power daily live classes and on-demand workouts inside FressiTV.
A fitness membership built around video
Fressi is a Finnish fitness and wellness brand offering gym access, group exercise, and digital training.
Its digital service, FressiTV, lets members train “wherever and whenever.” Members can join instructor-led classes live or pick from an on-demand library of free and subscriber-only workouts on their own schedule.
Live classes and on-demand workouts don't work the same way
Running a digital fitness service sounds straightforward until you have to support both live and recorded workouts.
For live classes, timing is everything. If a session starts at 6 PM, members expect to join at 6 PM. The stream needs to be ready, the player needs to load, and the video needs to play without interruptions.
Recorded workouts are different. Members might browse the library before work, play a 20-minute session during lunch, or catch up on a class they missed over the weekend. They expect videos to start quickly and play smoothly, regardless of when or where they're watching.
FressiTV needed to support both experiences without maintaining completely separate video workflows.
FressiTV needed a way to:
- Run scheduled live classes without rebuilding the streaming setup every day.
- Host an expanding library of recorded workouts.
- Deliver consistent playback across devices and network conditions.
- Support Chromecast, AirPlay, and embedded viewing.
- Keep backup workouts available when a live class can't proceed.
- Get technical help during time-sensitive broadcasts.
Video infrastructure that grows with the membership
Fressi started using Castr in 2020 for live streaming. But as FressiTV grew, the team needed more than just live classes.
Members wanted to watch recorded workouts, join sessions on different devices, and access everything in one place.
Castr made it possible to introduce these experiences without adding more tools or rebuilding the streaming setup. And with direct access to technical support, Fressi could focus on improving its fitness service while Castr handled the video infrastructure.
How Castr powers FressiTV behind the scenes
Fressi’s team controls the membership experience, class schedule, and workout catalog inside FressiTV, while Castr handles the video infrastructure that makes every session play reliably. Whether a workout is broadcast live from the studio or streamed from the on-demand library, it runs through the same delivery pipeline and custom player.
The setup behind FressiTV covers:
Regional ingest options
Scheduled live class delivery
Video hosting and on-demand playback
Adaptive viewing across connection conditions
Embedded and cast-enabled experiences
Custom player and embed optimization
Pre-recorded backup programming
Direct technical support
A consistent setup for every live class, with a backup ready
With live classes running on a regular schedule, Fressi needed a reliable setup that its team could reuse for every session without rebuilding the stream from scratch.
The studio feed connects through regional ingest servers, which take in the stream close to the source for a stable connection. Castr delivers the broadcast over HLS with adaptive bitrate streaming, which adjusts video quality to each member’s internet speed so classes keep playing on weaker connections.
And if a live class cannot go ahead as planned, Fressi can slot a pre-recorded workout into the schedule so members still get their class on time.
Hosting live and on-demand workouts in a single catalog
Not every customer can join at the scheduled time. Some return to a favorite class; others choose a workout around the time and space they have available.
With Castr's video hosting, Fressi can make recorded workouts available alongside its live programming.
Members can browse the FressiTV library and watch workouts on their own schedule, including free and subscriber-only content.
For Fressi, this means managing both types of video without introducing a separate viewing experience for members.
A player that fits FressiTV, on every screen
Members can watch on their phones or laptops, or cast workouts to their TVs using Chromecast or AirPlay. Fressi needed a player that worked well across these devices and fit the look and feel of its platform.
Castr worked with Fressi to customize the embedded player, making adjustments to loading performance, thumbnails, poster images, and casting.
These adjustments help Fressi maintain a consistent viewing experience across devices without having to build and maintain its own video player.
Handling high-traffic special events
Most FressiTV broadcasts follow a regular class schedule, but some events bring in more viewers than usual.
When Fressi hosted a high-traffic broadcast, the stream ran on the same Castr setup the team uses for its everyday schedule, without needing a separate event workflow.
Castr's technical team stayed available throughout the broadcast, monitoring stream health and providing support as viewers joined.
One coherent video experience for members
What began as a live streaming partnership in 2020 has grown into a broader video setup supporting both live and on-demand fitness.
Today, Fressi uses Castr to deliver its video content while keeping full control of the FressiTV membership experience.
With Castr, Fressi can:
Stream scheduled fitness classes using a consistent workflow
Host recorded workouts alongside live programming
Deliver free and subscriber-only videos within FressiTV
Support playback across phones, computers, and TVs
Use pre-recorded workouts when live schedules change
Work directly with Castr's engineers when technical needs arise
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