American Football: Murdoch signs up League's biggest prize

RUPERT MURDOCH'S Fox network has paid dollars 1.58bn ( pounds 1.09bn) for the televison rights to all the NFC matches in the National Football League for the next four seasons.

Details of the deal became public on Saturday, revealing that he has bought the rights to the most prized NFL games - the NFC includes the past nine Super Bowl winners - and the 1997 Super Bowl for dollars 130m ( pounds 89.6m) a year more than the rival CBS was willing to spend.

Dallas Cowboys, the defending Super Bowl champions, clinched a play-off place on Saturday with a 28-7 win against the New York Jets. Their quarterback, Troy Aikman, threw for 252 yards and connected with Michael Irvin for two touchdowns. Dallas improved to 10-4 and moved within a half game of the first-place New York Giants in the NFC East. They meet in the final week of the season.

Results, Sporting Digest, page 31