Nielsen’s College Football Index Shows Power Of Local Radio.

Following the August release of its first NFL Fandom Index, using multiple metrics to rank NFL markets with the strongest fanbases, Nielsen Scarborough has introduced a similar study focused on local college football markets.

The Nielsen Scarborough Local College Football Fandom Index again goes beyond simple viewership to look at eight measures of fan engagement: apparel purchases, general interest levels, live-event attendance, betting intent, social media engagement, radio listenership, streaming habits and linear TV viewership.

The main takeaway from the college football ranking is essentially the same as for NFL’s. “America’s most intense sports fandom is not concentrated in its largest media hubs, but in college towns and legacy markets built around teams the entire community can rally behind,” Nielsen’s report says.

Additionally, Nielsen says, “The top of the index is dominated by mid-size markets near flagship programs, where few competing professional sports franchises exist to split local attention.” Those markets are: Birmingham, AL; Des Moines/Ames, IA; Columbus, OH; Omaha, NE; and Knoxville, TN.

Birmingham, driven by college football programs at University of Alabama and Auburn, leads all schools in interest and event attendance, and ranks in the top four for radio listening, streaming, TV viewing, social media following and apparel purchases. Des Moines/Iowa, home to Iowa State and Iowa University, leads in radio, social media and apparel, yet last in betting intent, suggesting “a fan base whose passion is deeply rooted in traditional local channels rather than the broader national trend toward sports wagering,” the report says.

Third-ranked Columbus, home to Ohio State, leads in streaming and is among the top four for radio, social media, TV, apparel and interest. Omaha, where the focus is on the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, leads in TV, places second in radio and comes in third in apparel, while Knoxville, home to the University of Tennessee Volunteers, ranks in the top 10 for all of Nielsen’s eight metrics except social media.

Nielsen’s report notes that “betting intent often disrupts the leaderboard. Memphis, ranked 10th overall, posts the single highest college football betting index in the country, surpassing Birmingham and Columbus. New Orleans (No. 8 overall) follows closely, ranking second in betting. Neither market leads in apparel or traditional media, suggesting that wagering intent tracks along a different axis than the attendance-based loyalty that defines the top of the index.”

The report also points out the absence of major coastal metro markets in the top 20, with Atlanta the only large multi-sport market in the top 10, noting that it’s “propelled by regional proximity to SEC (and ACC) schools, and a top-five betting index rather than merchandise or attendance dominance.”

Quantifying the power of college football, the report adds that last season it “[had] a record-breaking year, where viewers consumed more than 179 billion minutes across Nielsen-rated networks — a 9% increase year-over-year.”