News International has added almost 30,000 paying digital subscribers to its Times and Sunday Times websites and apps in the past four months, according to new figures released by the publisher today.
The two titles attracted 79,000 paying digital-only subscribers at the end of February, up from just under 50,000 at the end of October, an increase of almost 60 per cent.
This includes subscribers to the digital sites as well as to The Times iPad app and the Kindle edition. On top of the digital-only subscribers, News International said there were an additional 149,000 joint print/digital subscribers to the two papers combined.
The Times launched its new paywall website in July last year. The latest figures were presented to staff today by chief executive Rebekah Brooks.
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Brooks said in a statement: “We are delighted with these latest figures. Not only do they continue to demonstrate that ever larger numbers of people are willing to pay for quality journalism across a variety of digital formats, they also tell a great growth story for The Times which will be matched by The Sunday Times very soon. This has been achieved in a very short time.
“Our industry is being redefined by technology and we will no longer measure the sales and success of our newspapers in print circulation terms alone. The combination of print and digital is a potent force for our great journalism and our commercial success. Our rapidly growing customer base is incredibly attractive to advertisers due to their engagement levels and profile.”
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