ireland.com will begin charging for premium content in the summer, it was announced today.
The charge will apply to the premium news service, comprising The Irish Times, the Breaking News service, ireland.com's searchable archive of all online newspaper articles and micro-sites including technology, sport, business and weather.
However a range of free content will remain available, including some material each day from The Irish Times, the Breaking News service, and micro-sites such as Property, Jobs, Explore Ireland, Ancestors, Motors, Fantasy Football and special feature sites covering major events like the World Cup and the General Election.
Final pricing will be confirmed in the coming weeks and it is expected to be in line with similar premium content charges in the international market.
Subscriptions will be available on an annual, monthly or weekly basis to individuals and on an annual basis to corporate clients.
The move follows a growing trend amongst leading content-driven websites all over the world to introduce subscription models for access to content and follows the success of ireland.com's subscription email service, which was launched in January.
Initially launched as The Irish Times on the Webin 1994, The Irish Timeswas the first newspaper in Ireland or the UK, and among the first 30 in the world, to go online. In 1999 the site was relaunched as ireland.com, and a range of products and services were developed to cater for the Irish and international markets.
ireland.com's business model is now based on advertising, email subscriptions, content syndication and mobile services.
"This is no different to paying for a copy of a newspaper or email alert or a premium TV channel," said Ms Mary Mangan, Chief Operating Officer of ireland.com.
"Now that ireland.comhas built significant brand equity and a very loyal customer base, we feel that we are in a good position to charge for our premium services," she added.