Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
New York Times Ends Times Select
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 18, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 18, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After two years in service and almost as long as media gossip fodder, Times Select, NYTimes.com's service that offered access to the rich archives of the New York Times through a paid subscription modeled, is officially dead. The service put certain current online content behind the Times Select wall, such as columns by Op-Ed writers, and there was much criticism, even from within the Times, about restricting access the paper.
There had been rumors about the decision for weeks, and now the Times explains the shift as being prompted by the realization that they can make more money from advertising revenue by opening up the archives than from the $7.95 a month/$49.95 a year service. NYTimes.com senior VP and general manager Vivian Schiller said, "“What wasn’t anticipated was the explosion in how much of our traffic would be generated by Google, by Yahoo and some others." The Times now expects a bump in traffic with demise of Times Select.
Here are some Times Select facts and figures from the press release:
TimesSelect was launched in September 2005 and, two years later, had approximately 787,400 active subscribers. Approximately 471,200 received TimesSelect free of charge as a benefit of their home-delivery subscriptions, while 227,000 paid for online access and another 89,200 received it for free on college campuses through TimesSelect University. During its tenure, TimesSelect provided exclusive online access to news and opinion columnists, including all the Op-Ed columnists appearing in the print version of The Times.
In addition, TimesSelect gave readers unlimited access to The Times archives dating back to 1851, placing The Times's daily chronicles from the past at the touch of a mouse.
This content, including columns, articles, blogs, videos, podcasts and audio recordings, as well as online research and storage tools like News Tracker and Times File and archival access back to 1987, will now be freely available at NYTimes.com. Many of these benefits did not exist on NYTimes.com prior to TimesSelect.Archival access between 1851 and 1922 will also be freely available. Archives for the years 1923 - 1986 are available to be purchased in single or 10-article packages.
Home delivery subscribers to The Times, who received TimesSelect as part of their print subscriptions, will have the same unrestricted access to the site that other readers will have, but will also have access to the complete Times archives from 1851 to the present.
The newly opened areas will be sponsored by advertisers, the first being American Express.
What do you think of the news? Did you use Times Select, or were you counting the days till it went away?
Tagged
advertisers
advertising
american express
blogs
college
dating
explosion
general manager
gossip
media
money
new york
new york times
news
rumors
the times
Times Select
traffic
university
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
We went fall-maxxing at edge of town.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
We went fall-maxxing at edge of town.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
October is spooky season at the movies in New York City
By
Emma Stefansky
At the Museum at FIT, an argument for dolls as the ultimate fashion influencers
By
Quinn Moreland
Immanuel Wilkins is upholding NYC's jazz history. He's also dreaming up its future.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .