The New York Times is considering a five-dollar per month charge for access to its Web content, according to Bloomberg.
The newspaper floated the idea to its print subscribers in a survey, which also reportedly asked about a discounted $2.50 Web access rate for subscribers.
The Times already dabbled in subscription-based services back in 2007 with the now-defunct Times Select, which provided paid access to columnists' content. That section attracted 200,000 users, or about $10 million a year in revenue, at its peak, Bloomberg said.
The paper eventually abandoned that service, but dwindling ad revenue has prompted the Times and many other newspapers to look at other ways of bringing in money.
The Times is likely to start charging for access on mobile phones before it requests payment for its Web site, according to Martin Nisenholtz, the head of digital operations.
The newspaper floated the idea to its print subscribers in a survey, which also reportedly asked about a discounted $2.50 Web access rate for subscribers.
The Times already dabbled in subscription-based services back in 2007 with the now-defunct Times Select, which provided paid access to columnists' content. That section attracted 200,000 users, or about $10 million a year in revenue, at its peak, Bloomberg said.
The paper eventually abandoned that service, but dwindling ad revenue has prompted the Times and many other newspapers to look at other ways of bringing in money.
The Times is likely to start charging for access on mobile phones before it requests payment for its Web site, according to Martin Nisenholtz, the head of digital operations.
