Subscribers to The Times website up by 10%

The figures reveal an increase in website subscribers both for The Times and its stablemate The Sunday Times since February, and have been hailed by chief executive Tom Mockridge as very encouraging.

However, circulation figures for the print editions of the two titles continue to decline.

News International launched its high-risk paywall strategy in June 2010, as it opened up a new front in the battle for readers.

It means that the digital news content for The Times and The Sunday Times is only available to paid-for subscribers.

In  September, the number of digital subscribers to The Times was 111, 036, compared to 101,036 in June, and 79,000 in February, the publisher claimed.

The Sunday Times website has also witnessed an uplift to 105,594, compared to 97,004 in June, and 75,133 in February.

The publisher did not disclose specific details of the demographic of its subscribers. It revealed previous figures in November last year.

However, both titles have shed a combined figure of around 40,000 off the headline figures of their print circulations.

The Times’ headline circulation in September was 429,554, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), while The Sunday Times’ was 984,223.

Mockridge said: "I am very encouraged by these figures. In contrast to the industry trend of declining circulation, The Times and The Sunday Times are showing that they can increase the audience paying for their digital journalism.

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk