Armchair fans are watching Premiership matches in greater numbers than last season, suggesting the country's fascination with top-flight football persists in spite of the inability of some clubs to fill their stadiums.

According to figures collected by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board and supplied by ZenithOptimedia, the agency, the average audience for 10 matches screened on the main British Sky Broadcasting channels between the start of the season and September 19 was 1.1m. This compares with an average of just more than 988,000 for 15 matches shown up to September 20, 2004.