FT to start charging for news e-mail

FT.com, the Internet arm of the Financial Times, is to start charging for a pilot e-mail daily newsletter later this year.

Biotech Investor, currently available free to registered FT.com users, is one of a number of sector-specific news services which the FT is planning to roll out and promote through its main site this year.

FT new media sales director Anthony Carbonari believes the FT can develop a range of paid-for products, as well as improve advertising revenues from its free-access site.

Carbonari claims the FT’s Bio-tech Investor has already established a significant worldwide business market since launch.

The FT’s move comes despite the modest uptake of the Wall Street Journal’s own Web-based paid-for news service, since it switched from being a free service last year.