• by Ray Schultz , September 8, 2021

Gannett Co. has unveiled a premium digital subscription product for sports fans in seven markets. 

USA Today Sports+ will allow subscribers to curate and customize their local sports experience, while enjoying podcasts, such as  “It’s a Football Podcast.” In addition, they can enjoy live NFL scoreboards and gaming data, along with odds, thanks to Gannett’s recent agreement with Tipico Sportsbook.

Sports+ is being offered in Arizona, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin to coincide with the start of the 2021 National Football League (NFL) season. 

The launch will be supported by the “Fan Harder” campaign, which was created by USA Today’s brand marketing team in collaboration with KesselsKramer. It includes radio ads, out-of-home billboards and banners, a geo-targeted social media campaign with TikTok and Twitter along with digital displays and local event sponsorships.

Sports+ will be free for existing digital subscribers of certain Gannett properties in the launch markets. These include The Indianapolis Star, Detroit Free Press and The Cincinnati Enquirer.  

As part of the launch, ESPN’s Josina Anderson is joining managing editors Alicia DelGallo and Roxanna Scott to lead the all-female Sports+ team.

Fans can subscribe via the USA TODAY Sports+ App or directly on the website. Nonsubscribers will be provided with three non-premium articles and can view the first AR experience.  

“Gannett is betting big on sports,” states Michael Reed, chairman-CEO of Gannett. “We are well positioned to reach our sports audience of over 53 million sports fans and capitalize on our large network of over 500 dedicated sports journalists.”