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| Sun paywall unavoidable, says News International chief executive | Sun paywall unavoidable, says News International chief executive |
| (6 months later) | |
| News International's chief executive Mike Darcey has said the company had no choice but to start charging for the online version of the Sun, the country's bestselling newspaper. | News International's chief executive Mike Darcey has said the company had no choice but to start charging for the online version of the Sun, the country's bestselling newspaper. |
| He said the free website was threatening the circulation and revenues of the tabloid, and will go behind a paywall in the second half of 2013 in a radical rethink about offering readers content free of charge. | He said the free website was threatening the circulation and revenues of the tabloid, and will go behind a paywall in the second half of 2013 in a radical rethink about offering readers content free of charge. |
| "This decision comes from a deep-seated belief that it is just untenable to have 2.4 million paying 40p for the Sun at the same time as a bunch of other people are getting it for free. | "This decision comes from a deep-seated belief that it is just untenable to have 2.4 million paying 40p for the Sun at the same time as a bunch of other people are getting it for free. |
| "The Sun website is a fantastic website and sometimes it is a better product. I have to believe that we are all suffering, to a greater or lesser degree in the print world because of that, that part of those people are saying day in, day out 'why am I paying for the Sun when I can get it for free'," Darcey told the Guardian. | "The Sun website is a fantastic website and sometimes it is a better product. I have to believe that we are all suffering, to a greater or lesser degree in the print world because of that, that part of those people are saying day in, day out 'why am I paying for the Sun when I can get it for free'," Darcey told the Guardian. |
| He made the announcement at an informal press event on Wednesday night designed to help News International rehabilitate its image, which has been battered by the phone-hacking scandal that has led to the arrest of almost 120 people, including 27 journalists on the Sun, in relation to suspected payments to public officials for stories. | He made the announcement at an informal press event on Wednesday night designed to help News International rehabilitate its image, which has been battered by the phone-hacking scandal that has led to the arrest of almost 120 people, including 27 journalists on the Sun, in relation to suspected payments to public officials for stories. |
| Darcey said newspapers were also beginning to see the impact of tablet readership following the explosion in ownership of iPads, Kindles and other devices. There are now 13m tablets in the UK, providing a major opportunity to shift newspaper readership habits from free to subscription, he said. | Darcey said newspapers were also beginning to see the impact of tablet readership following the explosion in ownership of iPads, Kindles and other devices. There are now 13m tablets in the UK, providing a major opportunity to shift newspaper readership habits from free to subscription, he said. |
| The launch of the subscription Sun comes just months after News International clinched a £20m deal to buy the mobile and online rights to show Premier League football goals and match highlights. | The launch of the subscription Sun comes just months after News International clinched a £20m deal to buy the mobile and online rights to show Premier League football goals and match highlights. |
| Sources say the Sun has pencilled in September for the erection of its paywall. | Sources say the Sun has pencilled in September for the erection of its paywall. |
| The decision to abandon the advertising model for the Sun online comes three years after owner Rupert Murdoch started charging for the Times online. | The decision to abandon the advertising model for the Sun online comes three years after owner Rupert Murdoch started charging for the Times online. |
| Darcey quipped that the Times has been behind a paywall since 1785 when its precursor, the Daily Register, was launched and three years later morphed into the Times. | Darcey quipped that the Times has been behind a paywall since 1785 when its precursor, the Daily Register, was launched and three years later morphed into the Times. |
| Murdoch has been a staunch opponent of the advertising model for online newspapers and his decision to start charging for the Sun comes just three months ahead of a demerger of his News Corp company, which will be split into separate entertainment and publishing companies. The move piles pressure on his three UK titles, of which only the Sun is profitable, to be commercially successful. | Murdoch has been a staunch opponent of the advertising model for online newspapers and his decision to start charging for the Sun comes just three months ahead of a demerger of his News Corp company, which will be split into separate entertainment and publishing companies. The move piles pressure on his three UK titles, of which only the Sun is profitable, to be commercially successful. |
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