Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws a pass while being pressured by SMU defensive end Jahfari Harvey (6) during the first half in the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
NEW YORK (AP) --
A pair of Saturday NFL games drew a larger viewing audience than college football for the rollout of the sport’s 12-team playoff.
The playoff game between SMU and Penn State averaged 6.4 million viewers on TNT networks, compared with the Texans-Chiefs game on NBC, which averaged 15.5 million viewers.
Later, Clemson-Texas drew 8.6 million viewers on TNT, compared with 15.4 million for Steelers-Ravens on Fox.
ESPN, ABC and others aired the other two college games — Indiana-Notre Dame (13.4 million) on Friday night and Tennessee-Ohio State (14.3 million) on Saturday night. There were no competing NFL games.
The overall average of 10.6 million viewers was higher than all but four college games this season.
President Donald Trump talks with Kennedy Center Board of Trustees president Richard Grenell, right, as he tours the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Jim Watson, Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump on Monday visited the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he took a tour and chaired a meeting of its board of directors.
It was his first time at the marquee arts institution since he began remaking it at the start of his second term in office. Trump fired the previous board of the Kennedy Center, writing on social media that they "do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture." He replaced them with loyalists, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, and installed himself as chairman.
The Republican president's allies have complained that the Kennedy Center, which is known for its annual celebration of notable American artists, had become too liberal and "woke" with its programming.
Trump complained of "tremendous disrepair" Monday speaking to reporters ahead of the board meeting, saying the center "represents a very important part of D.C. and actually our country." He expressed displeasure with the recent expansion of the complex, known as "The Reach," which features studios, rehearsal spaces and meeting facilities, suggesting he would move to close up the spaces because they lack windows.
Trump also discussed plans to "improve very greatly" the Kennedy Center and its upcoming artistic programming.
"We are going to have some really good shows," he said, adding, "The thing that does well are Broadway hits."
Several artists and productions, including Broadway smash "Hamilton," have backed out of performances at the Kennedy Center in protest of the Trump takeover. "I was never a big fan, I never liked 'Hamilton' very much," Trump said in response.
