could be. appleton, melling and mark gray (gray was top ranked in eurotour many years) possibly had an influence, also watching snooker on eurosport may have had an influence. i think fundamentals in general got better already in the late 90's though, also for american players, so it's probably been gradual
I am probably generalizing a lot, but all over Europe, if there are pool rooms, it is highly likely to find a 12’ snooker table or more. The reason is that Eurosport has broadcasted snooker world pro tour for decades and there are a lot or recretional players who play snooker exclusively. It is common that a young player if showing cuesport interest and skills will usually choose between snooker and pool, but never quits the other. I know a lot of pro level pool players who have played several snooker tournaments and find practicing snooker a refreshing change into practice routire. And eventually will also find developing more snooker style mechanics effective on a pool table as well. For instance Mika Immonen started his career in snooker.
Oh and there are hardly any other size than 12’ snooker tables around. And 99% of players are playing, learning and practicing snooker on it. I have hardly ever seen any other game played, no ”golf” etc. The snooker culture is far far away from the gambling culture. The cornerstone of snooker culture is highly structured practice programs, lots of solo practice like endless lineup variations etc. that truly develop your game. There is so little money in amateur level snooker the players really love the game and not the money that they could win one day. Edit: I also think that the same game developing mentality is carried over to the pool table. I have hardly seen American players posting videos of doing drills over and over again.
As lucky as we viewers are, this is a pun and fake news. Sorry, I could not wait until April Fool day.