Times and Sunday Times will be paywalled from June – £1 a day

More details for the Great Paywall of Wapping have been released:

Two new websites  www.thetimes.co.uk and www.thesundaytimes.co.uk are to launch in  May – free to registered users for a trial period until June.

Then, the content will be available for a charge of £1 (one day access) or £2 (a week’s subscription) – across both sites.

Seven-day subscribers to the Times and Sunday Times in print will also be given digital access.

“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. We will continue to develop our digital products and to invest and innovate for our customers,” said Rebekah Brooks, chief executive, News International, in a release.

BBC Radio 4 Today had Media Show host Steve Hewlett commenting on the plans (07:42). The audio is not yet up on its site but will be available at this link later this morning.

8 thoughts on “Times and Sunday Times will be paywalled from June – £1 a day

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  2. Carl Barron

    Pay-walls could loose vast ads revenue streams.

    As most revenues in the media come from advertisements it is logical to say that restricting access will only hit ads revenue streams so As I said before ‘Cut Your Nose Off to Spite Your Face’ please do. So prepare to have your investors ads money disappear Murdoch, for who will advertise in a Newspaper when it has a very limited audience?

    Russian entrepreneurs are moving into UK based mainstream media, so maybe goodbye Murdoch, eventually?

    It is noteworthy that since the The Evening Standard was bought by a Russian business man they can now afford to give the paper away FREE in the Streets of London, now a Russian entrepreneurs has bought The Independent.

    As I said before ‘Cut Your Nose Off to Spite Your Face’ please do.

    Signed Carl Barron Chairman of agpcuk
    http://carl-agpcuk.livejournal.com/

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  5. Shiv Satchit

    Whomsoever’s idea it is I can only assume he has not read economics or must have just descended from another planet. The result of placing these two online newspapers behind paywall will no doubt be disastrous but it wont hurt News International(NI).

    It can take the knock all right but the real issue is not of how impregnable NI is. It is one of being wise and sagacious in making strategic decisions in this digital world.

    If Mr Murdock has presided over this decision it is more to do by a capitalist beast who goes for the kill of the ‘golden goose’ so as to speak, oblivious to the fact that he will have no eggs to eat tomorrow. Well time will tell and my prediction is that the turn around or volte face is nigh. You may have won several economic battles in acquisitions, mergers and buyups but this is one you will regret.

    So let us watch the space. The jury is out for a well-known verdict.

    Shiv Satchit(London, UK)

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