from Sean Shapiro of The Athletic,

How much hockey have you watched this season compared to the past?

More — 41.2 percent
Same — 46.2 percent
Less —12.6 percent

The lack of ratings or viewership numbers on ESPN+/Hulu broadcasts (blame Disney policy) makes it hard to completely quantify how many people watched hockey in the United States this season. But based on the ratings and viewership from linear television, the move to ESPN and Turner did lead to more eyeballs on the games.

This was expected, frankly. Moving to ESPN and TNT was an intentional push to cable networks that were more accessible than NBC Sports (which has since been shut down), and it’s why the league was willing to sign a deal with Turner that doesn’t include the Stanley Cup Final next season on network television.

According to sources, the move to ESPN+ for the out-of-market package in the United States also helped boost NHL overall viewership considerably compared to NHL.tv. These numbers are not public (once again, blame Disney policy) and will not be made public, even though we’ve asked.

more (paid), includes Sportsnet too...