Reviewed by: Caleb Turrentine
Birmingham ranked 6th best college basketball market in the U.S. by Nielsen
Reading time: 2 minutes
Move over football, Birmingham is becoming a basketball town, according to the inaugural Nielsen Scarborough Local College Basketball Fandom Index.
The Magic City market ranked 6th in the national survey’s Top 20 most avid college basketball fans for both men’s and women’s programs, one spot from cracking the top 5.
Nielsen used 7 different basketball fan categories
Nielsen, the agency that tracks what America watches and buys, dropped its Fandom Index this week just ahead of the 2026 college basketball season opener.
The data group did more than survey TV viewership for their Fandom Index. They looked into seven categories, including TV viewership:
- Apparel purchases
- Live event attendance
- Digital streaming
- Social media engagement
- Television viewership
- Radio listening
- Overall interest level
Who are the top 10 best college basketball fans in U.S.?
Who made Nielsen’s top 10 list + the flagship programs in the market?
- Lexington, Kentucky (Kentucky)
- Louisville, Kentucky (Louisville)
- Des Moines/Ames (Iowa State /Iowa)
- Raleigh/Durham (Duke/UNC/NC State)
- Indianapolis (Butler/Indiana/Purdue)
- Birmingham (Alabama/UAB)
- Omaha (Creighton/Nebraska)
- Knoxville (Tennessee)
- Kansas City (Kansas/Kansas State/Missouri)
- Wichita/Hutchinson (Wichita State)
According to Nielsen college basketball viewership is up by 20% in the men’s game and 19% for women’s college basketball in 2026.
Birmingham fans love football and basketball
When it comes to the two biggest college sports, football and basketball, Birmingham is one of the most college-sports-crazed markets in the country
Along with its No. 6 Nielsen ranking in collegebasketball, the Magic City was named the number one market for college football fans by Nielsen back in September 2026.
