NHL realignment means earlier Red Wings games, expected boost for Fox Sports Detroit

The National Hockey League's realignment plan announced Thursday sends the Detroit Red Wingsinto the Eastern Conference starting next season, and is expected to mean earlier games for fans, less West Coast travel for the Wings and a revenue increase for Fox Sports Detroit, the Wings' broadcast partner.

The league announced Thursday that its board of governors approved the plan, which the National Hockey League Players' Association had already approved. The new format will feature two eight-team divisions in the Eastern Conference and two seven-team divisions in the West.

Southfield-based Fox Sports Detroit, already witnessing an advertising revenue influx in the form of double-digit rate hikes for its Detroit Tigerstelecasts, should see better ratings for Wings games because more will start at an earlier time. 

"We anticipate more games against some great Original Six opponents in some great time slots leading to even stronger Red Wings viewership all across Michigan. Higher viewership leads to more valuable advertising opportunities for our sponsors,"  Greg Hammaren, Fox Sports Detroit's vice president and general manager, said via email earlier this week, before the NHL approved the realignment.

Detroit's move will mean more games played at 7 or 8 p.m. Last season, 13 of the team's 82 games began at 9 p.m. EST or later, including seven after 10 p.m.

The current lockout-shortened schedule has Detroit playing 12 games that begin at 9 p.m. or later, eight of which begin at 10 or 10:30 p.m.

"We're not going to be heading out west as much," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said on detroitredwings.com. "They'll be able to watch our games in prime time a lot more than they have in the past."

Ad rates are in large part tied to ratings.

The network does not disclose its financials, but it is known the network charges about $6,000 for a 30-second commercial spot during a Detroit Tigers game, a number believed to be higher than similar ad inventory for Red Wings games.

Last season, NHL teams averaged a collective 1.41 in local ratings, but the Red Wings were at a 3.55 rating for the season in Detroit, according to Nielson Co. data provided by FSD. That number was good enough to make Red Wings games the top-ranked among Fox's eight regional sports networks and fourth among the 21 NHL teams that have local regional sports network cable deals, FSD said.

FSD airs about 60 of the Red Wings' 82 games. The rest are on alternative networks, including national broadcasts. The network has 148 of the Tigers' 162 games.

Approximately 50 30-second commercial spots air during a typical Red Wings game, in addition to a small amount of 15-second inventory. Another 21 half-minute spots are shared by the team, NHL, network and cable operators.

Fox Sports Detroit inked 10-year deals with the Wings and Tigers in March 2008, believed to be extensions of contracts already. The hockey team is believed to get about $25 million from the broadcaster for cable-rights fees, while the baseball team gets $50 million.

Under the current format, regular Western trips for Detroit include Colorado, San Jose, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Calgary – games that can begin after bedtime for most kids and many adults.

The plan calls for a two-conference, four-division alignment based on geography, replacing the current six-division format that's existed since the 1998-99 season.

The proposed new Eastern Conference would have 16 teams, while the Western Conference would have 14. The top three teams in each division, and then the next best team in each conference, would make the playoffs.

Detroit would be in a Central Division with the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens,Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators.

That restores Detroit's traditional rivalries with Original Six opponents Boston, Montreal and Toronto.

The other three divisions would be:

§  Atlantic (Eastern Conference): Columbus, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, PittsburghPenguins, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and New York Islanders.

§  Midwest (Western Conference): Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, DallasStars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues.

§  Pacific (Western Conference): Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San JoseSharks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.

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