Over the past few weeks members may have noticed a change in the times and frequencies at which Peloton classes are populated in the on-demand library. This is because Peloton has made a few alterations to how they load completed live classes to the on-demand library.
First, most coach-to-camera classes – i.e. those that are pre-recorded and drop straight to the on-demand library rather than taking place live or designated as a “premiere” – are now being released at midnight eastern time.
Previously, most classes filmed from Peloton Studios New York (PSNY) were released at either 10:00am ET or 11:00am ET, and classes filmed from Peloton Studios London (PSL) were released even earlier. Recently (and presumably for the foreseeable future), nearly all pre-recorded coach-to-camera classes filmed in both New York City and London have been added to the on-demand library at 12:00am ET.
In an even bigger change, Peloton appears to be loading the majority of completed live classes into the on-demand library in three distinct batches.
For years, live classes have been made available in the on-demand library on a rolling basis throughout the day after they were completed. This means that, typically, within a an hour or so of the class taking place live, it would become available to take on-demand. There were always exceptions to this here and there with some classes taking longer; but as a general rule, members could expect classes to be made available on-demand within a short while after occurring live.
Over the past week or so, there has been a significant change to this practice, with classes only being loaded to the on-demand library three times per day.
The first batch appears in the on-demand library at approximately 12:00pm ET, and includes classes that took place live between 12:00am ET and 8:00-9:00am ET.
The second batch appears in the on-demand library at approximately 5:00pm ET, and includes classes that took place live until around 2:00pm ET. Note that over the weekend, however, the 5:00pm drop only included classes filmed until 12:00pm ET.
The third and final batch appears between 9:00-10:00pm ET, and includes the rest of the classes that took place that day that have not been loaded yet; mainly late afternoon and evening classes.
Note that these windows have not been precise. In other words, classes are not released exactly on the dot; but rather, within a general window. Sometimes classes have appeared a few minutes after the hour, and there have even been numerous small drops within one hour – one group at the beginning of the hour, and one group at the end of the hour.
Also, this change in when the classes are loaded does not impact the time stamp shown for the class. The classes still are listed as the original time the live class too place. It simply means they are not showing up to take as soon as they used to.
There does not appear to have been a change in how premiere classes are loaded; they are still appearing in the on-demand library after the premiere takes place, even if this does not fall within one of the three on-demand loading batches.
Peloton has not officially shared the reasoning behind this change. However, it is worth noting that Peloton has undergone a number of major changes this year – including the layoff of 400 employees amounting to 15% of their workforce and CEO Barry McCarthy stepping down. This change could potentially be another small cost savings the company is trying to implement.
In addition, shortly before this change related to on-demand classes being loaded happened, Peloton also had a major shift in when live classes are recorded – announcing there would no longer be live Peloton classes from either studio on Wednesdays. When Peloton announced that shift, it was presented as a way for Peloton to free up resources to work on other projects (and likely some cost savings as well) – so these changes with how classes are loaded to the on-demand library could have been made with the same goal in mind.
Though anything can change at any time, members should no longer expect live classes to appear in the on-demand library within a couple of hours of taking place. In addition, pre-recorded coach-to-camera classes should be made available to members at 12:00am ET moving forward.
Have you noticed this change in how and when Peloton loads classes into the on-demand library in recent days?
Support the site! Enjoy the news & guides we provide? Help us keep bringing you the news. Pelo Buddy is completely free, but you can help support the site with a one-time or monthly donation that will go to our writers, editors, and more. Find out more details here.
Get Our Newsletter Want to be sure to never miss any Peloton news? Sign up for our newsletter and get all the latest Peloton updates & Peloton rumors sent directly to your inbox.
Leave a Reply