The streak stretches back to a Third Round replay in 2005 when the Red Devils beat Exeter City in a Third Round replay at St James Park in Devon.
Since then, Sir Alex Ferguson's men being on the TV on an FA Cup weekend has become a third certainty in life, just like death and taxes.
First, though, the case for the defence of the continual Man United selections. It is indeed true that, in recent seasons, the 11-time winners have had some mighty draws.
As the match preview on the BBC website pointed out: "Fulham are the sixth successive Premier League club they've been drawn to meet in the competition, and the 21st in 26 rounds."
It is not as if their fixtures in the early rounds have been against run-of-the-mill top-flight clubs either. Liverpool have featured three times in 2006, 2011 and 2012, Tottenham Hotspur twice in 2008 and 2009, as well as Arsenal (2008) and Manchester City (2012).
Even when Sir Alex Ferguson's men have been drawn to opposition from a lower league, there has often been a story to tell - for example, the renewal of hostilities against Leeds United in 2010 and the rags-to-riches tale of Crawley Town in 2011.
Also, the fact that Man United have reached two finals, four semi-finals, and five quarter finals in the last eight years will inevitably mean that a lot of their FA Cup ties have been broadcast.
Finally, on top of the fixtures, there is the argument that Man United - as the biggest club in English football - will always draw the biggest television audience, and that commercial stations like ITV and ESPN would be crazy not to include them as one of their picks.
After all, hordes of their armchair supporters are bound to tune in, while many others will watch in the hope that Fulham can pull off a shock
The latter is unlikely to happen this afternoon, though. Instead, we are more likely to see an under-strength team from the league leaders roll over a notoriously poor-travelling, middling top-flight team in front of a near silent ground.
Indeed, those desperately needing to see a Man United-Fulham fixture broadcast live will not need to wait long: the league match at Craven Cottage is on ESPN at 5.30pm next Saturday.
There is none of the romance of the Cup in this selection, and - in FA Cup terms - the Macclesfield Town v Wigan Athletic or Norwich City v Luton Town would have been a much better choice.
In fact, Macclesfield Town chief executive John Harris has gone as far as to call the decision "farcical", adding: "When we beat Cardiff City here in the third round, the scenes at our stadium were magnificent and a giant-killing could be on the cards again.
"No disrespect, but is Manchester United playing Fulham more attractive to a football purist?"
For, it is not only at the big clubs that there is narrative to tell. Macclesfield go into their tie against Premier League opposition on the back of a tale of tragedy and decline, with the sudden deaths of manager Keith Alexander and midfielder Richard Butcher followed by relegation out of the Football League.
The hard work which has been required at Moss Rose even to get the match played - with 50 people shovelling the pitch clear of snow - would have added to the feeling that this is not just any other weekend of the season.
Luton Town, too, can feel aggrieved at not being chosen. Their match against Norwich City is another Conference v Premier League tie but the Hatters are hardly a typical non-league side.
Winners of the League Cup in 1988, Luton have fallen on hard times recently, and their cause has not been helped by three successive failures in the Blue Square Premier playoffs.
Nevertheless, things are looking up at Kenilworth Road, and a group of investors - led by former breakfast TV host Nick Owen - have stabilised the finances. What odds on an upset against the horribly out-of-form Canaries?
At least the other television matches look like cannier selections. Yes, Stoke City v Manchester City is another all-Premier League tie but it is, at least, the replay of the 2011 Cup Final, the scene of Man City's first major trophy for 35 years.
Meanwhile, the other matches all have a big Premier League club scrapping it out at a lower league ground. Brentford v Chelsea is a west London derby no less, while Leeds will reprise their role as the Championship club to avoid in the Cups when they take on Tottenham.
Finally, the third game on Sunday sees Liverpool travel to Oldham Athletic who will surely make a better fight of it at Boundary Park than they did in last year's 5-1 Third Round defeat at Anfield.
Already, the television companies have missed out on a so-called shock with Championship team Millwall beating Aston Villa 2-1 with a last-minute goal.
The match at the Den was moved to Friday night as Met Police in the area will be required today to deal with a protest march against the closure of Lewisham Hospital.
However, neither ITV nor ESPN saw fit to broadcast live the latest chapter of Villa's demise following their exit earlier this week to Bradford City in the League Cup semis.
With Swansea City beating Chelsea on the following night, the League Cup Final thus gained an unusual look in being a Bradford-Swansea fixture.
Unusual - but all the better for it, as it spares us another deeply unimaginative selection from the broadcasters.
THE AMAZING MANCHESTER UNITED TV CUP RUN
| 2005 | ||
| Third Round replay | v Exeter City (A) | BBC |
| Fourth Round | v Middlesbrough (H) | BBC |
| Fifth Round | v Everton (A) | BBC |
| Quarter final | v Southampton (A) | BBC |
| Semi final | v Newcastle United (N) | BBC |
| Final | v Arsenal (N) | BBC |
| 2006 | ||
| Third Round | v Burton Albion (A) | Sky |
| Third Round replay | v Burton Albion (H) | BBC |
| Fourth Round | v Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | Sky |
| Fifth Round | v Liverpool (A) | BBC |
| 2007 | ||
| Third Round | v Aston Villa (H) | BBC |
| Fourth Round | v Portsmouth (H) | BBC |
| Fifth Round | v Reading (H) | BBC |
| Fifth Round replay | v Reading (A) | BBC |
| Quarter final | v Middlesbrough (A) | Sky |
| Quarter final replay | v Middlesbrough (H) | BBC |
| Semi final | v Watford (N) | BBC |
| Final | v Chelsea (N) | BBC |
| 2008 | ||
| Third Round | v Aston Villa (A) | BBC |
| Fourth Round | v Tottenham Hotspur (H) | BBC |
| Fifth Round | v Arsenal (H) | BBC |
| Quarter final | v Portsmouth (H) | Sky |
| 2009 | ||
| Third Round | v Southampton (A) | Setanta |
| Fourth Round | v Tottenham Hotspur (H) | ITV |
| Fifth Round | v Derby County (A) | ITV |
| Quarter final | v Fulham (A) | ITV |
| Semi final | v Everton (N) | ITV |
| 2010 | ||
| Third Round | v Leeds United (H) | ITV |
| 2011 | ||
| Third Round | v Liverpool (H) | ITV |
| Fourth Round | v Southampton (A) | ITV |
| Fifth Round | v Crawley Town (H) | ITV |
| Quarter final | v Arsenal (H) | ITV |
| Semi final | v Manchester City (N) | ITV |
| 2012 | ||
| Third Round | v Manchester City (A) | ITV |
| Fourth Round | v Liverpool (A) | ITV |
| 2013 | ||
| Third Round | v West Ham United (A) | ITV |
| Third Round replay | v West Ham United (H) | ITV |
| Fourth Round | v Fulham (H) | ESPN |
FA CUP FOURTH ROUND
| Friday 25 January | ||||
| 19:45 | MILLWALL | 2-1 | ASTON VILLA | |
| Saturday 26 January | ||||
| 15:00 | BOLTON WANDERERS | 1-2 | EVERTON | |
| 15:00 | BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION | 2-3 | ARSENAL | |
| 15:00 | DERBY COUNTY | 0-3 | BLACKBURN ROVERS | |
| 15:00 | HUDDERSFIELD TOWN | 1-1 | LEICESTER CITY | |
| 15:00 | HULL CITY | 0-1 | BARNSLEY | |
| 15:00 | MACCLESFIELD TOWN | 0-1 | WIGAN ATHLETIC | |
| 17:30 | MANCHESTER UNITED | 4-1 | FULHAM | ESPN |
| 15:00 | MIDDLESBROUGH | 2-1 | ALDERSHOT | |
| 15:00 | NORWICH CITY | 0-1 | LUTON TOWN | |
| 15:00 | QUEENS PARK RANGERS | 2-4 | MILTON KEYNES DONS | |
| 15:00 | READING | 4-0 | SHEFFIELD UNITED | |
| 12:45 | STOKE CITY | 0-1 | MANCHESTER CITY | ITV |
| Sunday 27 January | ||||
| 12:00 | BRENTFORD | 2-2 | CHELSEA | ESPN |
| 14:00 | LEEDS UNITED | 2-1 | TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR | ESPN |
| 16:00 | OLDHAM ATHLETIC | 3-2 | LIVERPOOL | ITV |
FA CUP FIFTH ROUND DRAW
Ties to be played on 16-17 February
Huddersfield Town or Leicester City v Wigan Athletic
Milton Keynes Dons v Barnsley
Oldham Athletic v Everton
Luton Town v Millwall
Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers
Manchester City v Leeds United
Manchester United v Reading
Middlesbrough v Brentford or Chelsea
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