• The Wall Street Journal, Monday, January 24, 2011 11:52 PM

The New York Times is preparing to introduce multiple subscription packages for access to the paper's Web site and other digital content, kicking off the biggest test to date of consumers' willingness to pay for news they're accustomed to getting free. Online readers of the Times would get free access to a certain number of pages before being asked to pay.

Under the new system, expected to be rolled out next month, the Times will sell an Internet-only subscription for unlimited access to its site, as well as a broader digital package that bundles the Times online with its application on the iPad. Subscribers to the print edition of the paper will get full online privileges at no additional cost, Times executives have said. The paper has considered charging around $20 a month for the digital bundle and less than half that for the Web-only offering. Executives have said that only about 15% of the paper's online readers are "heavy users," meaning the vast majority probably won't trigger a payment requirement.

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