USA TODAY Sports Re-launches Mobile App For MMAjunkie

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May 21, 2014, 04:03 ET

MCLEAN, Va., May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties today re-launched its popular mobile application for mixed martial arts leader MMAjunkie (www.mmajunkie.com), which will now include video and photo gallery capabilities, an enhanced audio experience and a "smart" inbox to push trending content to users, among other new features.

The re-launched MMAjunkie app debuts today, and is available for all mobile and tablet devices on iTunes and Google Play.

The new MMAjunkie app is designed to enhance response to the brand's explosive mobile audience growth, which has averaged 180% increases monthly year-over-year during the past six months (ComScore). The new app is also designed to better engage the brand's core audience, among the most engaged in all of sports, on their smartphones and tablets.

Users of the previous version of the MMAjunkie app spent more than 4.6 million minutes and averaged 82 minutes per user during February 2014 (ComScore Mobile Metrix), making it one of the top 15 sports apps for monthly minutes per user, higher than NBC Olympic Highlights app (68.8), ESPN SportsCenter (67.6), FOX Sports Go (70.4), Yahoo! Sports (37.6) and WatchESPN (24.5).

"The MMAjunkie audience is a highly mobile audience, and this re-launch is geared toward serving a passionate fan base that is consistently 'tuned in' wherever they are," said Krys Krycinski, head of mobile for the USA TODAY Sports Media Group.

"In addition to the new video and image gallery capabilities, the new app experience is designed to optimize social capabilities, allowing users to share breaking news and rumors with friends, as well as to receive news alerts on major announcements from MMAjunkie editors."

Originally launched in November 2006 and acquired by the USA TODAY Sports Media Group in December 2011, MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie on Twitter) is a four-time Media Outlet of the Year award winner at the World MMA Awards. It is one of the only media outlets that staffs and covers every UFC fight around the world, with a focus on providing unbiased MMA coverage to its young, predominantly male and highly engaged social media audience, with strong social referrals coming to the site via MMAjunkie's Facebook and Twitter feeds.

"MMAjunkie continues to set the standard for the most complete coverage of all things MMA anywhere in the world," said Dave Morgan, President of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group. "The re-launch of this app enables us to continue to deliver on our mission of serving one of the most passionate, digital-first fan bases in all of sports across desktop, mobile and tablet."

About the USA TODAY Sports Media Group
The USA TODAY Sports Media Group encompasses all sports initiatives across USA TODAY Sports and Gannett's more than 120 well-known local media brands. It also includes the sports photography wire service USA TODAY Sports Images; leading high school sports destination USA TODAY High School Sports; Sports On Earth, a joint venture with MLB Advanced Media dedicated to great sports writing in all its forms; the social news hub For The Win, and the hundreds of sites within USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties such as TheBigLead and mixed martial arts site MMAjunkie, among others. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).