Aerobics Oz Style is an Australian aerobic exercise instructional television series, shown in Australia on weekends and then weekdays on Network Ten at 6:00 am then 6:30 am and distributed to many other countries. It was cancelled by Network Ten at the end of 2005.

TV series background

Aerobics Oz Style, was created and produced by Harry Michaels and began in 1982 and ran continuously through until 2005, with over 4,500 episodes produced, by production company Zero1Zero (now NEP Studios). The format remained consistent throughout its run. Each show was 30 minutes divided into four segments, one of warmup exercises, two main exercise segments, and a stretch/cool-down segment. One instructor leads the exercises, with four demonstrators following to the side and behind. Later shows were shot outdoors at scenic locations around Sydney, in earlier shows an indoor studio was used.

Format

Each show had an exercise theme. The mainstays since inception included high and low-impact, legs, abdominals, body toning. Other later themes included kick-boxing, low impact with a mixture of Latin dancing and pilates. Older styles included light hand weights and dynabands. Fashions in exercise-wear moved with the times too, leotards over bicycle shorts in the early days giving way to halter tops and tight shorts. The instructors and demonstrators on the show were a mixture of men and women. The show was intended for any age or gender. Many children watched the series inadvertently as they had switched on their televisions too early for the popular children's series Cheez TV which aired after.

Tie-in Merchandise

During most of the show's run, a set of Aerobics Oz Style exercise videos are sold in a longer format than the shows broadcast, and include some exercise styles not otherwise featured, such as Swiss ball. These videos included music that remained unique and separate from the television show. In total, 22 titles were released.

Theme music

Australian band TISM parodied Aerobics Oz Style in their 1998 music video for "Whatareya?", in which all members start off following the instructor before drinking (and throwing) beer cans and jumping over couches. In 1998 U NO HU, a UK songwriting and music production duo, consisting of Gary Williams and Philip Barber were brought onboard and commissioned to write a mixture of more than three hundred instrumental dance tracks and chill-out tracks specifically for the television broadcasts and later exercise videos. The new, uplifting, music featured on over 1,500 later shows increased viewer ratings by twenty percent – on the BSkyB network – adding to the already established popularity of the program.

Current broadcasts

AOS continues to be broadcast on Australian television via Aurora Channel 183 - on the Foxtel Digital, Optus and Austar platforms - which broadcasts Aerobics Oz Style every day at 6.30am AEST and also 2.00pm AEST. In Europe Aerobics Oz Style is broadcast daily (weekends included) on Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2 at 6:00 (GMT) and it is repeated daily on Sky Sports 3 or Sky Sports 4 at 11:30 and 16:30. In 2011 Sky Sports started to broadcast additional airings of the show. The program is now aired in the small hours of the morning, as early as, 00:30 (GMT).

Talent