The index, released as a new college basketball season tips off across the country, identifies the top 20 most passionate college basketball markets nationwide across both men’s and women’s programs. Unlike traditional rankings built on television ratings alone, it draws on proprietary data spanning seven fan touchpoints: apparel purchases, live event attendance, digital streaming, social media engagement, television viewing, radio listening and overall interest.
How Nielsen Built the Fandom Index
Nielsen’s approach matters because it captures how fandom actually shows up. A market where fans buy jerseys but rarely watch on linear TV scores differently than one driven by broadcast audiences, and the index is designed to surface those distinctions. The result is a data-driven blueprint showing where fan bases are deepest and how fan behavior differs from market to market.
That multi-platform view is timely. With viewership surging in both the men’s and women’s games, the company said, understanding regional nuances helps brands and media networks plan smarter, more influential campaigns across the season.
Kentucky’s Two Cities Dominate the Top of the Rankings
Kentucky's basketball heartland claims the top two spots. Both designated market areas show dominant engagement across every measured category — from game attendance and television and radio broadcasts to digital streaming and merchandise sales.
Mid-Sized Markets Punch Above Their Weight
Further down the top 20, the index highlights how smaller markets often outpace bigger metros in fandom intensity. Birmingham ranks sixth at 185, Omaha seventh at 180, Knoxville eighth at 178, Kansas City ninth at 173 and Syracuse 15th at 157. The pattern, Nielsen reported, shows that mid-sized markets in the Southeast and Midwest frequently outperform larger metropolitan areas when measured by how concentrated fan passion is.
What the Index Reveals About Fan Behavior by Region
The index shows that fan engagement varies by city for brand marketers, advertisers, and media planners.
In Lexington and Louisville, Nielsen reported, television, streaming, radio and live events all lead the nation, making the two Kentucky cities the strongest targets for integrated omnichannel campaigns that can capture the biggest synergy and reach.
Elsewhere, apparel sales can outstrip TV ratings entirely. Columbus, Ohio, ranked 17th overall at 150, leads the nation in team apparel purchases despite lower viewership numbers, and Omaha ranks second in merchandise sales despite minimal advertising exposure. In markets like those, the index suggests, e-commerce and retail promotions can convert better than widely broadcast commercials.
Des Moines/Ames stands out as a digital and audio leader, topping engagement across social media, streaming and radio — a profile where connected TV and digital audio campaigns reach highly interactive fans before they make buying decisions. In tech-heavy Raleigh/Durham, fans lean more toward live events and streaming platforms than linear television, pointing to experiential marketing and OTT partnerships as the natural fit. And in the Southeast, passion can beat population: smaller markets like Birmingham and Knoxville generate higher merchandise sales than a giant media hub like Atlanta, evidence that deep regional loyalty often drives marketing return more than raw audience size.
Why the Index Arrives Now
The release lands as college basketball enters a new season on the strength of that viewership surge — men’s up 20% and women’s up 19% over the past year, according to Nielsen. The company said the index demonstrates that college basketball fandom is a multi-platform phenomenon, and that understanding the regional differences lets brands and media networks make smarter, more influential campaign decisions throughout the season.
Lexington Claims Top College Basketball Fandom
It is Nielsen’s first comprehensive benchmark identifying the top 20 most passionate college basketball markets in the U.S. across both men’s and women’s programs, based on seven fan touchpoints rather than TV ratings alone.
Which city ranks No. 1 in college basketball fandom?
Lexington, Kentucky, holds the top spot with an index score of 289, followed by Louisville at 277.
How much did college basketball viewership grow last year?
Nielsen reported that men’s college basketball viewership increased 20% and women’s college basketball viewership increased 19%.
Why does Columbus rank so high in apparel sales but lower overall?
Columbus ranks 17th overall with a score of 150, yet leads the nation in team apparel purchases — showing that merchandise buying can outpace television viewership in passionate fan markets.
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