Birmingham Ranks Sixth in College Basketball Fandom

Nielsen's inaugural Local College Basketball Fandom Index places the Birmingham market among the nation's top 20 fan markets.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Basketball

Expressive sports illustration of a college basketball player driving to the hoop in a red-and-white jersey, with a blurred crowd of fans in team colors behind. — Birmingham ranked sixth among the nation's top 10 markets in Nielsen's inaugural Local College Basketball Fandom Index, released before the 2026 season opener. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Nielsen ranked Birmingham sixth among the top 10 markets in its inaugural Scarborough Local College Basketball Fandom Index, released the week before the 2026 college basketball season opener. Lexington, Kentucky ranked first, and Birmingham is one spot from cracking the top five.

Why it matters

The index gives a measurable view of how local markets engage with college basketball across apparel, attendance, streaming, social media, television, radio and overall interest. For Birmingham readers, it places the local fan base alongside larger markets nationally.

Birmingham placed sixth in the index, which measures apparel purchases, live attendance, digital streaming, social engagement, television, radio and overall interest across men's and women's programs. Nielsen reported 2026 viewership growth of 20% in men's college basketball and 19% in women's.

The players

Nielsen

Nielsen is a global audience measurement company whose Scarborough research unit publishes consumer and local market data used widely across the media and advertising industries.

The details

Nielsen measured fandom across seven categories for Top 20 markets covering both men's and women's programs. Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky led the rankings, followed by Des Moines/Ames, Raleigh/Durham, Indianapolis and Birmingham, with Omaha, Knoxville, Kansas City and Wichita/Hutchinson completing the top 10.

September 2026: Nielsen named Birmingham the top college football fan market.
2026: College basketball viewership rose 20% for men's and 19% for women's programs.
November 4, 2026: Nielsen released the inaugural Fandom Index, the week before the season opener.

Season Trajectory

Nielsen's September 2026 ranking of Birmingham as the top college football fan market set a precedent that this basketball index now extends. Together the two rankings suggest Birmingham's college sports following is broad rather than limited to a single sport.

Birmingham's sixth-place finish signals a deep local base for college basketball viewing, apparel and attendance. Fans following Birmingham-area programs can expect the market's engagement to remain a visible part of the national college basketball conversation.

The takeaway

Birmingham's standing in the index shows that local college basketball engagement is measurable and competitive with much larger markets. Readers who follow local programs can use the rankings to gauge how their market compares nationally.