I've met the devs in person. They keep turning down literal suitcases full of cash from people who want to bundle adware and crap in one of the most popular programs ever. Don't assume VLC is going down that road -- they've stuck to their ethics for decades.
"BUT IT'S NOT POPULAR! ALL THE DOWNLOADS ARE FROM JANUARY 1ST 2005 AND NOBODY EVER DOWNLOADED IT EVER AGAIN! IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY BY BIG TRAFFIC CONE! I DON'T WANT FACTS LALALALALA" --this guy
Big Traffic Cone is coming for you. It cautions us all. That's why it's orange with reflective stripes. You should have heeded it's warning. Be afraid, very afraid.
If all those downloads were from 2005 to 2015, and there's only been a few hundred in the last nine years, that would mean the popularity has declined.
But we don't know that. We don't know if the downloads have increased, decreased, or stayed the same based on the proffered numbers. We only know a flat number from the last twenty years.
Thats the point theyre making, not that its unequivocally unpopular now.
Also you're about three billion shy of one download for everyone on earth.