News International is to start charging readers to access the Sun newspaper online later this year, as the firm continues its paid content strategy amid rising competition from digital news outlets.
The news follows similar announcements over the past few days from other newspaper websites, including the Telegraph and The Washington Post.
News International has not confirmed itspplans for how the paywall will work, but its stablemate The Times has been behind a paywall for over two years.
It currently offers three separate subscription packs. The Web Pack costs £2 a week to access the full content on the site using a computer. The Digital Pack costs £4 a week, and also includes access on smartphones and tablets. The Classic Pack offers access on all devices, plus paper copies of The Times and Sunday Times delivered by post.
The Sun currently attracts 30 million monthly visitors , and the newspaper costs considerably less that the Times print version, suggestion a different model will be used.
Before the News of the World was closed, the firm put its website behind a paywall too, charging £1 a day or £1.99 a month for access.
