The point is: making tours (and music) is expensive... someway he had to make money when the record company didn't support him enough, to make his new album, and later a tour (later...and I don't know what later mean this time)
I don't appreciate everything he does, I just hope that when he will release new music, it will be exciting enough to make me forget about the waiting. (just my 2 cents)
He prefers doing television than (maybe??) doing shows in small venues, that's a fact... ... television gaves him more money than small gigs, of course.
And of course we don't know the reason why he prefers doing that, if it's just because he loves having a glamourous life in Paris and Milan, or because it's really just for the music
He could have done Intimate Evenings in Europe, I think he could have filled 500-1000 people theatres in Uk with no problems (and personally, I prefer him making music, even if it's not in my country and I can't go to see him, than he being a tv star in my country, but that's just me)