News Corp. to Charge for 2 Online Papers
NEW YORK (
) -- Media giant
News Corp.
(NWSA) - Get Report
will be the first of its kind to charge for the online versions of its consumer papers.
News Corp. will start charging readers for
The Times of London
online and
The Sunday Times of London
online beginning in June, reports says. Each online paper will soon cost $1.49 a day to read, though readers who buy their print versions get free online access, according to
Reuters.
The company already charges for access to the
Wall Street Journal
online.
The
Financial Times
online also follows a subscription-based model. So far, consumer publications haven't pursued this business model over concerns about a substantial drop in readership; the
New York Times
(NYT) - Get Report
stated earlier in the year that it would begin following a subscription-based model beginning in 2011.
News Corp. has been at the helm of the drive towards subscription-based online news content, as many newspaper companies continue to struggle with falling advertising revenue and economic uncertainties.
-- Reported by Andrea Tse in New York
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