London: News Corp's News International launched new paid-for websites for the Times of London and the Sunday Times on Tuesday, the first major consumer newspapers to charge readers for online access.
The sites will be free for the first eight weeks for users who register. After that, readers will be charged 1 pound ($ 1.44) per day or 2 pounds per week for both titles.
Seven-day subscriptions to the print versions will include access to the websites - www.thetimes.co.uk and www.thesundaytimes.co.uk - which replace the previous single Times Online site for both titles.
News Corp's Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has championed the cause of charging for news online, which consumers have become used to reading for free, helped by search services like Google News, which has contributed to a fall in newspapers' revenues.
His Wall Street Journal, along with rival business daily the Financial Times, owned by Pearson, both already charge for online access. The New York Times plans to start charging for access to its website next year.
The new Times and Sunday Times websites include extra content like video - some from BSkyB, in which News Corp has a 40 percent stake - and a tool that allows readers to move directly to book tickets from reviews of cultural events.
"We will continue to add new features to ensure that the innovation that has been central to The Times for 225 years continues into the future," James Harding, editor of The Times, said in a statement.
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