London - The Financial Times, the business newspaper owned by publisher Pearson Group, announced on Monday that it will expand free access to its website to allow users 30 free views per month, after which point a subscription will be needed.

"The figure of 30 is not random," FT.com publisher Ien Cheng told the Associated Press.

"We have studied carefully how people come to the site. We have always believed that the journalism we produce is worth something to our core users."

FT.com, which claims over 100,000 paid subscribers, charges about $109 for an annual, full-access Web subscription.

The company's new policy is set to take effect in mid-October.

The newspaper's move follows The New York Times' recent decision to abandon its TimesSelect subscription service, making a large portion of its online archives available for free viewing.

Related Links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_on_hi_te/britain_ft_com_2 (AP)

http://www.ft.com