The New York Times Announces April 2 Launch of Next Phase in Paid Digital Products Plan with New Entry Level Product and Premium Tier Digital Subscription Service

The New York Times (NYTimes.com) today announced plans to introduce two new offerings to its digital subscription portfolio, as well as enhancements to its core digital packages, on April 2, as part of the next phase of the Company’s digital subscription strategy.

The new offerings, NYT Now and Times Premier, are new subscription offers designed to satisfy demand for more Times content and in turn grow subscriptions. NYT Now is a new subscription plan created for an audience seeking more content than is currently available for free but at a lower price than the full news report. Times Premier is designed for the most enthusiastic and engaged Times subscribers, interested in the richest Times experience.

NYT Now will be available on April 2 at a stand-alone cost of $8 every four weeks. The standalone subscription includes unlimited access to the new NYT Now App for iPhone®and iPod touch® , which will also be offered to all existing digital and home delivery subscribers as a free supplemental benefit. The Times Premier subscription will offer the highest level of connection to The Times available, with behind-the-scenes access and exclusive benefits, as well as all the advantages of All Digital Access, for $45 every four weeks or $10 extra every four weeks for home delivery subscribers.

In making the announcement, Mark Thompson, chief executive officer, The New York Times Company, said: “Just under a year ago we outlined our strategy to expand our digital product portfolio to continue to grow digital revenues. Next week, this strategy will come to life with the introduction of NYT Now and Times Premier, the first of the new offerings to be introduced in 2014. Our goal with this next phase of our paid products strategy is to satisfy the demand for Times journalism by giving new subscribers the ability to choose the amount of access they desire at a price point that suits them, and to enhance the value we offer our current loyal subscribers.”

NYT Now

At the center of the NYT Now subscription offering is the new NYT Now App for iPhone and iPod touch, The Times’s first standalone news product beyond the core news app. The new app will offer a curated selection of New York Times content for a fast and engaging news experience. Edited by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Cliff Levy, the NYT Now App is designed for readers to quickly catch up on the most important stories from The Times around the clock, and also gives them access to a stream of the best of the rest from the Internet.

Levy and a staff of more than 10 editors hand-select articles, videos, infographics and slideshows from NYTimes.com to be included in NYT Now. The NYT Now editors then tailor the article headlines and summaries for the mobile reader. This information is displayed in a continuously updated News stream for quick reading. Users can tap on the summaries for full access to complete stories. NYT Now subscribers will also have unlimited access to all NYT Now stories on NYTimes.com.

Jill Abramson, executive editor, The New York Times, said: “The launch of NYT Now marks a significant point in Times history as it is the first mobile product with its own dedicated editorial staff that offers a particular selection of Times stories. NYT Now cuts through the vast amount of content available on the web and social media to provide the most essential stories of the moment, hand-selected by some of the most thoughtful and discerning journalists in our newsroom.”

Notable features of NYT Now include a “Morning Briefing” and an “Evening Briefing”, daily tip sheets that provide a look at World, National, Business, Culture and other news. A separate “Our Picks” section showcases a curated selection of the best stories from around the web, chosen by NYT Now editors.

In addition, NYT Now allows readers to stay on top of important stories and interact with Times journalism. NYT Now caters to readers’ needs depending on time of day, presenting features based upon the native time set on their clock on iPhone or iPod touch. When they return to NYT Now, they are able to quickly see what has changed with developing stories, as well as what new stories have been added since their last session. For The Times’s best long-form journalism, users will be advised on read time and reminded to save the article for later. All stories can be shared via Facebook, Twitter and email.

At launch, NYT Now will be available exclusively as an iPhone app and on the web. It will be free to download the app and read headlines and article summaries and non-subscribers will be able to enjoy up to 10 free articles each month. Full access to NYT Now will cost $8 every four weeks.

All new and existing digital and home delivery subscribers, including Times Premier subscribers, will receive complimentary unlimited access to NYT Now. Starting April 2, a free download of NYT Now will be available on the App Store.

Paid Posts on Mobile

The launch of NYT Now also marks the official debut of Paid Posts, The Times’s native advertising product, on mobile devices. Paid Post units and branded content will begin appearing on NYT Now on April 2 and on The Times’s core news app for iPhone and iPod touch and mobile web site in the coming months. Paid Posts will become available on some of The Times’s other smartphone and tablet apps later this year.

Advertising on NYT Now will consist exclusively of Paid Post programs which include in-line native ad units within the NYT Now news stream that users can click through for full access to Paid Post content.

Cartier is the official launch sponsor of NYT Now.

Times Premier

Times Premier is a premium subscription service designed for The Times enthusiast and includes tailored content experiences created exclusively for Premier customers.

For $45 every four weeks, Times Premier incorporates all the benefits of All Digital Access, which includes unlimited access to The Times across all digital platforms and apps, including NYT Now. Current home delivery subscribers can pay an extra $10 every four weeks to receive Times Premier.

A Times Premier subscription also provides exclusive access to Times Insider, a new feature that provides a behind-the-scenes look at how The Times newsroom creates the world’s most compelling and comprehensive journalism. Times Insider will be edited by Dave Smith, who was most recently managing editor of the International New York Times.

Subscribers to Times Premier also receive:

• TimesTalks: Exclusive access to new and archived full-length online videos of Times journalists interviewing leading figures in the arts, politics and fashion.
• TBooks: Access to two free TBooks each month. TBooks are curated compilations of articles from The Times’s Archives, each on a single subject. TBooks are available for digital download to iOS, Android and Kindle devices, as well as desktops.
• Crosswords: A four-pack of themed puzzles each month, handpicked for Times Premier subscribers.
• Family access: The ability to share their Times Premier account with two additional family members.
• Gift subscriptions: The ability give a 12-week Times All Digital Access gift subscription to up to three friends each year.
• NYT Store: Access to The New York Times Store Premier Boutique, featuring exclusive discounts on NYT-branded merchandise.

Users can sign up to receive Times Premier beginning April 2.

Additional Benefits for Core Subscribers

Core subscribers, which include Web + Smartphone, Web + Tablet, All Digital Access and home delivery subscribers, will also enjoy new benefits to their subscription starting April 2.

In addition to receiving unlimited access to NYT Now, core subscribers can sign up to receive “What We’re Reading,” a new, twice-weekly, subscriber-only email that provides recommendations on stories to read from around the web, from New York Times journalists. What We’re Reading will also be edited by Dave Smith. Core and Times Premier subscribers can sign up to receive What We’re Reading beginning April 2.

Core subscribers will also enjoy enhanced access to the redesigned TimesMachine, an interactive digital version of The New York Times print archive. The new TimesMachine allows subscribers to read complete print editions of The New York Times as they originally appeared with every article provided in a legible, linkable and shareable fashion. TimesMachine has been expanded to include every print edition of The Times from Volume 1, Number 1 of The New-York Daily Times, on September 18, 1851 through the December 31, 1980 edition of The New York Times. Access to TimesMachine is available to core and Times Premier subscribers.

For more information on The New York Times subscriptions, please visit NYTimes.com/Access.

The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT) is a global media organization dedicated to enhancing society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information. The company includes The New York Times, International New York Times, NYTimes.com, INYT.com and related properties. It is known globally for excellence in its journalism, and innovation in its print and digital storytelling and its business model. Follow news about the company at @NYTimesComm.