I guarantee you if, say, Sky had to choose between 2 million viewers and a quarter empty stadium and 1.5 million viewers with a full stadium, they will take the 2 million every time and not give a toss.
And if football goes down the pan, TV will just move on to another sport they can entice/charge punters to watch. They don't care if they have to show dwarf poodle racing - as long as they can deliver an audience.