• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, September 3, 2014

USA Today Sports Media Group is expanding its social media reach through a partnership with Moko Social Media, which operates sports-centered social mobile apps, the companies announced Wednesday. The deal will give USA Today Sports Media Group’s advertising clients access to two of Moko’s social apps, Rec*It and RunHaven, including digital ad sponsorships.

It also calls for joint production and syndication of content across Moko’s mobile assets.

Rec*It is a mobile fitness app serving intramural athletes at over 850 universities and colleges across the U.S., allowing users to access recreational sports schedules, individual rankings and team results via their mobile devices. The app also offers a variety of fitness content and tools for communicating with teammates, as well as integration with other social networks.

The second Moko platform, RunHaven.com, targets running enthusiasts and those interested in a healthy lifestyle with content appropriate for all levels of experience via mobile devices. Content includes training schedules and advice, nutritional information and recommendations; social sharing is built in.

In recent months, the USA Today Sports Media Group has forged a number of partnerships in the digital media arena, with a heavy emphasis on social and mobile channels.

In August, USA Today Sports Media and Degree deodorant and antiperspirant launched a new College Football Fan Index that combines social media activity and online voting to determine which football teams have the most committed followings.

Back in March, USA Today Sports Media struck a deal with NeuLion giving it access to content from NeuLion’s network of college sports publishers, including more than 170 NCAA team Web sites. The partnership also calls for shared sales of digital advertising sponsorships, as well as joint production and syndication of content across both NeuLion’s online sports network and Gannett Co.’s own range of college sports platforms, including USA Today Sports, the Amway Coaches Poll for college football, and Gannett’s network of 81 local newspapers and 42 local broadcast TV stations.