The Times Website Visits Down 66 Per Cent

UK newspaper The Times has lost 66 per cent of its online readership following the introduction of a paywall, the Guardian has reported.

Rupert Mudroch, head of News International, the media group that controls The Times last year announced the company's decision to implement a paywall around both The Times and The Sunday Times.

Industry experts had predicted a 90 per cent fall in readers, but, according to recent data compiled by Experian Hitwise, The Times had received 66 per cent less visits than its pre-registration level, before 2 July.

According to Experian, the biggest fall happened five weeks before the paywall was implemented, when visitors were asked to register on the website to access content. During this period, the site lost 58 per cent of visitors.

Currently, News International only charges £1 for the first 30 days of access to the websites, but Murdoch aims to to increase the price to £1 per day or £2 per week, after the introductory period expires.