The Times and the Sunday Times will become the first British newspapers to charge readers to access all online content from June, Rupert Murdoch’s News International announced on Friday.
Customers will have to pay £1 (US$1.50) for one day’s access and £2 for a week’s subscription, in a move that will be closely watched by a newspaper industry experiencing a steady but inexorable decline in circulation.
Both Times titles will launch new Web Sites in early May, replacing the existing combined site, “Times Online.”
The two new sites will be available for a free trial period to registered customers. Access to the digital services will be included in the seven-day subscriptions of customers to the two newspapers.
News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks said: “At a defining moment for journalism, this is a crucial step towards making the business of news an economically exciting proposition.”
“We are proud of our journalism and unashamed to say that we believe it has value. This is just the start. The Times and the Sunday Times are the first of our four titles in the UK to move to this new approach,” Brooks said.
News International, a division of Murdoch’s News Corp, also owns the tabloids the Sun and the Sunday paper the News of the World.
With newspaper sales in decline and advertising increasingly moving online, owners have been searching for a business model that will make profits from their Web Sites.
The Financial Times already makes readers pay for some online content, while the Wall Street Journal — also part of Murdoch’s media empire — is currently the only major US newspaper charging readers for full access online.
The New York Times announced in January that it would start charging for online content early next year.
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