That would see 4 more teams enter the SPFL not for me
Not necessarily... It (18-14-14) would just be the most interesting way of organising the top 3 tiers of the wider pyramid system. Voting rights could be limited to the teams who currently have the rights, reduced to the 32 teams in the top two flights, or else we just assume that at least 2 colts (non-voting) would occupy slots within the top 3 tiers, meaning a negligible change in the number of voting clubs.
Our problem is not necessarily the number of teams. There is something quite attractive and unique about the historic diversity of Scottish clubs that would be marketable globally. It is the money available to said teams, and this isn't helped by the financial split between clubs, but the main offender is clearly the money that comes in in the first place - primely through our ridiculously poor TV deal compared globally. A huge reorganisation and rebrand of the national game here could attract some more bidders for the TV rights and drive up the price.
But a larger top league would be a closer top league. My viewing habits: watch every rangers game I physically can. Watch the occasional scum game (usually when a title race starts heating up), and nothing else because they are irrelevant to Rangers's season.
One of the reasons the EPL product is so popular is because, with multiple teams involved annually in the title race (because the league is Franky bigger and naturally fascilities this) a Man U can will not only watch their team play a 3pm Saturday game each week, but have a vested interest in watching Chelsea at 12pm, Liverpool at 5.30pm and even Spurs the next day. All the games are relevent to Man U's season because the title race is closer, and therefore more fans are invested in more games.
You can argue the quality is much better, but that wasn't always the case. The crazy money from international TV deals has turned things crazy, but it was this simple formula and concept of having a good competitive league that started them on that journey to being the most lucrative league in the world.
I know I'd watch a lot more hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen games if I thought they were credibly in a title race with us. And in a top league of 18, where they face (currently) 6 championship level clubs 12 times a year (what they would fancy as a guaranteed 36 points annually) and only face the old firm 4 times (likely dropped only 12 points - and any upset is game on) I think sustained title challenges from outwith the old firm wouldn't just be more likely, but inevitable. And in that case, I'd certainly more more likely watch our rivals play in the SPL than I would switch on an EPL game which (though higher quality at present) is irrelevant to rangers and therefore irrelevent to me. Sad thing is, everything in the current system outwith the old firm is irrelevant to me. With nothing to play for each week, let's face it, a Hibs Vs Aberdeen game is often irrelevent even to their own fans (not the diehards, but certainly the wider fan base they could and should be reaching), therefore the viewership is low.
The predictable annual points gap between 2nd and 3rd each year is so large because old firm challengers play over 20% of league leaves every season against the old firm. That's insane when you think about it isn't it?! But it is this that has killed out league as a competition - other than being a thrilling 2 horse race that 2 clubs are all-in-invested in, whilst the rest barely participate and fans barely spectate.