The Times and The Sunday Times were not the first general interest newspapers to start charging for their content online. But the introduction of paywalls a year ago was by far the biggest and boldest move anywhere in the world.
The early signs of success of the strategy have encouraged others to consider some form of charging. The New York Times has recently introduced charges for visitors who read more than 20 articles a month. After just three weeks, more than 100,000 people had paid for online access.
General interest newspaper publishers have looked enviously at the success of The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, which have been charging online for some time.
In Britain, The Guardian and the Daily Mail have been the most vocal champions of free content. By focusing on gossip and celebrities, Mail Online is now the second most visited newspaper website after The New York Times.
Although the amount of advertising generated by The Guardian’s free site is still relatively modest, it remains convinced that the free online model is the future. But other newspapers are reported to be considering introducing charges, particularly after the rapid growth of the Apple iPad and other tablets.
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These have proved popular for reading newspaper content online. The Telegraph and the Mail both charge for their iPad apps and The Guardian is expected to charge for its iPad app, as it does for the iPhone.
The Telegraph has never ruled out charging for other online content and is reported to be considering a hybrid model that charges for a smaller proportion of its content than The Times and The Sunday Times.
In the fast-moving world of the internet, it may not take long to discover which models work best.