"We're delighted with the enthusiastic response to TimesSelect," said Martin Nisenholtz, senior vice president, digital operations, The New York Times Company. "Clearly we've put together a product that appeals to a wide range of readers. The feedback from users has been very positive, particularly about interaction with columnists, usage of new tools and access to The Times's archives."

"We're committed to making our world-class journalism available across all platforms," said Scott Heekin-Canedy, president, The New York Times. "TimesSelect is another new and innovative way for readers to interact with The Times."

Approximately half of those enrolled in the service are Times home-delivery subscribers, who receive access to TimesSelect as a benefit of their print subscription, while the other half are online-only subscribers. More than 90 percent of those who initially signed up for the 14-day free trial have become paying subscribers. In the week before it launched, when TimesSelect was priced at $39.95, more than 20,000 online-only subscribers signed up.

Launched on September 19, TimesSelect is regularly priced at $49.95 annually or $7.95 monthly and provides exclusive online access to the Op-Ed columnists and select Business, Metro and Sports columnists of The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. It also features seamless access to The Times's extensive archives, previews of articles from Sunday's Times, multimedia packages and new tools for tracking and organizing news and information customized by users. Fourteen-day free trials continue to be available.

Among new features in TimesSelect:

• Q & A: Maureen Dowd initiates a dialogue with readers regarding her provocative Magazine piece on feminism today.
• Tom Friedman, on his blog, responds to the voluminous mail he has received asking why he supported the war in Iraq. Friedman calls himself a neo-liberal and explains his thinking.
• Talking Points offers background and analysis on an important topic by a Times editorial board expert. Recent topics include: How money buys power in American politics; The idea of an American woman president; How government is changing the tax code to help the rich; How one writer has gone from using a typewriter to embracing his iMac.
• Sports of The Times columnists Harvey Araton and Selena Roberts, and deputy sports editor Kristin Huckshorn, hold roundtable discussions on: the N.B.A.'s image as it begins a new season; college football; and whether the recruitment race for coaches among universities is worth the multi-million dollar contracts.
• Metro columnist Joyce Purnick offers her keen insight on the implications of New York's mayoral race.
• Special guest columnists: writing professor and longtime New Orleans resident John Biguenet writes and videotapes from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; and Iranian graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, begins a month-long appearance as guest Op-Ed columnist this week exclusively for TimesSelect. Satrapi is creating political cartoons during November.
• Op-Ed columns now available as podcasts.

The vast majority of NYTimes.com remains free to all visitors. According to internal data in September NYTimes.com achieved record traffic of 21.3 million unique visitors worldwide, a 49 percent increase from September 2004, principally as a result of hurricane coverage as well as site improvements. NYTimes.com generated 561 million page views, up 17 percent year over year. Last month NYTimes.com received three awards from the Online News Association, including the top prize for general excellence among large sites. The New York Times was honored for its dedication to online excellence and cited as "the gold standard for online journalism."

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT - News), a leading media company with 2004 revenues of $3.3 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 16 other newspapers, nine network-affiliated television stations, two New York City radio stations and more than 40 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. For the fifth consecutive year, the Company was ranked No. 1 in the publishing industry in Fortune's 2005 list of America's Most Admired Companies. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com and www.nytco.com/community