Columbus is the fourth-ranked television market for the 2025-26 college basketball season, according to Nielsen. The ranking is based on household ratings of men's and women's college basketball.
Only Louisville, Indianapolis and Hartford, and New Haven ranked higher than Columbus. Two other Ohio cities, Dayton (No. 7) and Cincinnati (No.8), also made the top 10.
Ohio basketball has grabbed the attention of national headlines this season thanks to Miami (OH) men's basketball's perfect regular season, which they wrapped up by beating Ohio University on March 7.
Ohio State men's basketball finished its regular season with three straight wins, including an upset and Quad 1 victory over Purdue. In the final regular-season game, guard Bruce Thornton became Ohio State's all-time leading scorer in men's basketball, passing Dennis Hopson with a 25-point performance against Indiana March 7.
Both Miami Ohio and Ohio State are expected to make the NCAA tournament, according to USA Today's latest bracketology.
Top 10 TV markets for college basketball. Not surprised to see Indy high on the list (even with a meh #iubb team). pic.twitter.com/CYKvqGnNB8
— Matt Glenesk (@MattGlenesk) March 10, 2026
Meanwhile, No. 11 Ohio State women's basketball is expected to be a No. 4 seed and host a regional in March Madness. A No. 5 seed in the Big Ten tournament, the Buckeyes lost to top-seeded UCLA in the semifinals.
See the rest of Nielsen's rankings below.
Top TV markets for 2025-26 college basketball season
- Louisville
- Indianapolis
- Hartford/New Haven
- Columbus, Ohio
- Detroit
- Milwaukee
- Dayton
- Cincinnati
- Minneapolis/St. Paul
- Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: College basketball TV market data ranks Columbus No. 4 nationwide