The London Times and Sunday Times have launched themselves onto the World Wide Web, attracting around 18,000 registered users in just over a week, according to Andrew Burke, Internet publishing manager at News International Ltd, the publisher of both titles. The company has also got together with Motorola Inc to offer Times and Sunday Times readers an Internet access package geared towards first-time users for รบ190. The package includes a Motorola 28.8Kbps modem, Netscape Communications Corp Navigator browser and access via IBM Corp’s Global Network. It also includes VocalTec Inc’s Internet phone software. The Web site was developed in-house in six months and aims to put up unabridged Times and Sunday Times articles and pictures from all the sections, by around 2.30am, seven days a week. A new section has been added for the Web version, called Interactive Times. It includes an interactive version of the crossword, rolling news updated at least four times a day and classified advertising with a search engine. There is also a fledgling Personal Times feature, where readers can tailor a version of the newspaper to areas of particular interest. Access is free and Burke estimated that it would do well to break even in the next two years. He said the aim was to introduce people to the paper who would not normally look at it, in particular younger and overseas readers.
