Times Online Opens Up To Overseas Readers
The Times is giving oversees readers the chance to access certain areas of its website free of charge in an attempt to provide advertisers with access to UK consumers abroad.
Much of the Times Online website, such as the driving, travel and business sections, has already been open to oversees readers, but they will now also have free access to the homepage, world news, comment and feature sections.
The Times expects the free access sections of the website, which has been subscription only since May 2002, to be particularly popular among British and Irish expatriates, but also among quality readers in the Commonwealth and in the United States.
Commenting on the initiative, Peter Bale, online editorial director of The Times and The Sunday Times, said: “We believe the time is right to extend our reach overseas to meet a growing demand for the perspective and insight readers expect from The Times and The Sunday Times.”
Annelies Van Den Belt, digital director of Times Newspapers Limited, added: “The business of internet news sites is evolving rapidly. We believe we can offer advertisers a chance to reach audiences outside the UK more effectively and to offer overseas readers an alternative source of news.
The subscription to the e-paper, which offers the entire content of the paper edition and magazine supplements, remains unchanged at £89.99 a year for a seven-day a week package. The digital edition allows people to turn pages and open articles and ads as if they were reading the paper form.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations recent announced a change to its rules to allow publishers to report sales of digital editions on their existing ABC print certificates. The move clears the way for publications produced in both print and digital formats to include the latter on their ABC certificates for the first time (see ABC Amends Rules For Reporting Electronic Circulations).
The Times: 020 7782 5000 www.timesonline.co.uk
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