Online Restrictions on Time Inc. Magazines

Starting today, AOL Time Warner Inc. will end free online access to some of its highest-profile magazines as part of a previously announced effort to help its troubled America Online unit.

The restrictions initially apply to People and Entertainment Weekly magazines, which will be available on the Web only to America Online subscribers or people who buy the magazine.

A dozen other Time Inc. publications, including Real Simple and In Style, are expected to follow suit by mid-May. Sports Illustrated and Time magazines are not on the initial list.

The shift to restrict access was announced in December, as AOL Time Warner tried to counter a perception among analysts and investors that its AOL unit wasn’t doing enough to attract new customers. Last quarter, AOL lost customers for the first time.

From Associated Press