Kindle NY Times subscribers to get paywall pass

Amazon has confirmed that digital subscribers to the New York Times Kindle edition will get free access to the newspaper’s website as part of their bundled content. The NY Times paywall – announced earlier this month and in operation since yesterday – is priced from $15 per month for web and smartphone access, but if you have a $19.99 per month Kindle subscription you’ll also be able to access the main site.

It’s worth noting that the Kindle edition of the NY Times can’t be read on Amazon’s Kindle apps – such as for iPad, iPhone and Android – only on proper Kindle hardware. No word on when exactly the bundled access will be enabled; Amazon says subscribers will be told more “in the coming weeks.”

Press Release:

Kindle New York Times Customers to Receive Free Access to NYTimes.com

Kindle New York Times subscription will include online access at no additional charge
SEATTLE—March 28, 2011—(NASDAQ; AMZN)—Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that customers who subscribe to The New York Times for Kindle will be receiving access to The New York Times Web site at no additional charge. The date for Kindle New York Times subscribers’ free online access is yet undetermined; subscribers will receive further communication via e-mail in the coming weeks.

“Customers love reading The New York Times on their Kindles,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. “Given The Times’ transition to a digital subscription model, we’re excited to be able to offer Kindle subscribers online access to all the digital content available at NYTimes.com at no additional cost.”

“The Times’ digital subscription plan was designed to offer access to our high-quality journalism across a variety of platforms,” said Yasmin Namini, senior vice president, marketing and circulation, and general manager, reader applications, The New York Times Media Group. “New York Times readers on Kindle are a very loyal and important audience, and we are pleased be able to include online access as part of their subscription experience.”

The New York Times is the bestselling newspaper in the Kindle Store.

For more information and to order The New York Times for your Kindle, visit www.amazon.com/nytimes.