Times and Sunday Times launch new websites

The UK’s Times and Sunday Times launched new websites this week,
designed to look more like their print versions, but with a focus on
multimedia. For the next month the sites will be free to peruse, but
will go behind a paywall in June. Already, you need to register to go beyond the home page.

Editor’s Weblog reports:

“Having a separate website for a Sunday paper seems to be an unusual step: the Q&A chat [with a Times reporter] explained this by saying that the two papers represented two distinct brands and that “readers value that distinction.” The website notes that the Sunday paper’s site will be updated all day on Sunday, and there will be new features, blogs and content added every day. It has added a ‘culture planner’ which compiles critics’ recommendations of the “best arts events, shows and TV programmes of the week in an interactive calendar.” This also allows the reader to book tickets and record TV programmes via Sky+ (another News Corp property.)”

On the upcoming paywall, Editor’s Weblog adds:

“With regards to the paywall, access to the sites will be £1 a day and £2 a week. It does not seem as if there will be any discounts for monthly or annual subscriptions. All content will be behind the paywall, including podcasts. According to the Guardian, Times assistant editor Tom Whitwell described the new strategy as an “all or nothing” approach, and said that Times and Sunday Times content was to almost entirely disappear from search services such as Google News. The sites have also withdrawn from the ABCe auditing.”