Yet another paper is not letting users past its homepage without paying for content. The News of the World, following in the footsteps of fellow News International publications the Times and the Sunday Times, has a new paywall.

"With its phone hacking scandal continuing to dominate coverage of New Corp.'s mass-market UK Sunday tabloid, it's little surprise that the expected implementation of web charging went almost little-noticed when it actually happened on Wednesday," noted paidContent.

The new website costs £1 a day and £1.99 for four weeks. There is a free £2 credit when you first register, and an option to pay with a mobile device other than a debit or credit card. Subscribers also need to give their postal address to receive content. The site is handled by the same Times Plus platform which powers the Times and Sunday Times, paidContent reported.

The article also states that the News of the World is one of the world's most-read papers, with about 2.8 million circulation in August. However, the Web site has been less successful and "just as with the Times switch, News International is now seeking sustainability for its digital properties in the image of its newspapers, not audience for audience's sake." News International may bring forth data on the switch next month and its remaining UK property, The Sun, is also due to put up a paywall.

Roy Greenslade

of the Guardian thinks the site's new design looks better than it did before and has "plenty of content to offer." He also mentions how there are a number of video clips, which include one of England goalkeeper Joe Hart "carousing in a bar." "I found one video very amusing because of its candour in showing the frustrations, expense and utter triviality of modern celebrity coverage," Greenslade adds in the blog.

Paywalls are currently springing up all over the English-language newspaper scene, although they are still some way from being the norm. For example, The Times of London makes users pay £1 a day or £2 a week. and the Daily Sentinel just started to charge nonsubscribers for content. The New York Times and Boston Globe are going to implement paywalls sometime in the future as well.

Will users prove willing to pay for content? How will these moves affect the news landscape and global dialogues? It will be interesting to see how the paywall of tabloid NOTW fares compared to those of its quality sister papers.

Sources: paidcontent.org, Guardian
Image: Guardian