New York Times Prepares Plan to Charge for Online Reading - WSJ.com

A sign of the Times

Under the new system, expected to be rolled out next month, the Times will sell an Internet-only subscription for unlimited access to the Times site, as well as a broader digital package that bundles the Times online with its application on the iPad, according to a person familiar with the matter. Subscribers to the print edition of the paper will get full online privileges at no additional cost, Times executives have said.

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Times Co. executives have said that only about 15% of the paper's online readers are "heavy users," meaning the vast majority probably won't trigger a payment requirement. And half or more of the site's traffic in some months comes through the "side door," or from search engines, social-networking sites and other sources.

New York Times Prepares Plan to Charge for Online Reading - WSJ.com