It is rather odd that tv companies constantly run with the thread of supporting the ‘big’ 6 (minus 1…) clubs.
even with United’s 1bn (ha!) ‘supporters’ the majority of viewers will be hoping for the other team to win, no matter who they are.
but they alienate the vast majority of their audience by concentrating on the ‘big’ club.
I get that they pick a ‘big’ club to televise matches for, because it drives the audience, (it will always be bigger than a level 3 vs level 4) but I think they misinterpret the reasons the majority are watching. They are watching not to want the ‘big’ team to win, but to lose. And the majority are far more interested in the story of the other team and how they played than the repeated ad nauseum bollox of how the ‘big’ team played.
it’s noticeable that the ‘big’ team fans are all ‘not interested’ in football anymore, but that’s just united, and previously Arsenal spouting off. The lower tiers and grass roots football (ie anyone other than the ‘big’) is flourishing.. and yet tv companies just pander to the ‘big’ and ignore their far bigger potential audience.
‘Big’ football is on the cusp of eating itself, but it only has itself to blame by belittling the majority.