Media Notes

NBC Sports Digital and the Daily Racing Form have struck a partnership to create a co-branded online venture in which the 115-year-old turf publication will provide digital content to support NBC Sports' thoroughbred racing coverage. The Daily Racing Form will host and program a customized horseracing section of NBCSports.com, located at drf.nbcsports.com, with material there including a wide variety of previews, analysis, real-time and historical results, features and video content. The move arrives as NBC ramps up for the 136th Kentucky Derby on Saturday (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).

Athlon Sports' New Monthly Magazine Will Debut In October

NEW MAGAZINE: Athlon Sports Communication, Inc. in October will launch Athlon Sports, a monthly sports magazine that is expected to debut with a circulation of 7 million via daily newspapers, making it the largest sports magazine in the U.S. Athlon Sports will profile athletes, provide preseason insights from sports editors and share sports stories from around the country. In connection with the new venture, former Alpha Media Group CEO Stephen Duggan is acquiring a minority stake in Athlon and assuming the role of Athlon Media President (Athlon).

STANDING HIS GROUND: In Boston, Julian Benbow reported Celtics radio play-by-play announcer Sean Grande during Friday's Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game Three "endured a verbal lashing from a Heat fan ... because he refused to sit during WEEI's broadcast." Grande and analyst Cedric Maxwell "called the game just above the lower bowl, about 20 rows above courtside ... because of the media crunch during the postseason." Grande "stood for the entire game and a female fan sitting above Grande claimed she could not see the action on the east side of the court clearly." The fan "complained to security and arena officials to no avail and screamed repeatedly at Grande to sit down," but Grande "refused." After Celtics F Paul Pierce hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer, Grande "sat down and the female fan doused him with a drink." Grande "did not respond and remained on the air" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/24).