Newspaper groups set to launch online archives

by Fiona Ramsay, Media Week 29-Jan-08, 11:17

LONDON - The Times and The Daily Telegraph have confirmed plans to launch online archives of their titles later this year.

The Times already offers a library-focused service providing archived content from 1785 to 1985 and many in the industry had expected it to launch a more widely available consumer archive last December.

The company, however, insisted its online archive plans are on track and said it is pressing ahead with plans to develop commercial opportunities around the service this year.

A spokesman said: “We have never publicly issued a launch date for the Times Archive and the project is on schedule. We will announce all the details in full surrounding the archive, such as pricing and advertising opportunities, when the project is announced.”

The Daily Telegraph also confirmed it plans to launch an online archive. A spokesman said: “Telegraph Media Group has watched the digital archiving developments over the past few years with great interest.

“Following the recent improvements in technology, we will be looking to make an announcement about our own plans in the forthcoming weeks.”

Both The Guardian and The Scotsman already offer online archives – charging £7.95 for a pass that provides access for 24 hours.

Colin Hughes, managing director of Guardian Professional, said that the development of The Guardian’s existing archive was going to plan, with a B2B version set to go live in February.