Ending a three-year flirtation with free online content, Variety newspaper plans to put some of its Web site content behind a "pay wall" ...

... that will require a paid annual subscription, its publisher said Thursday.

The changes at the Hollywood trade publication will take place early next year and come with new online features such as a better archive, publisher Brian Gott said.

While there might be some reduction in the number of Web site visitors, currently about 2.5 million per month, the switch will help preserve paying subscribers even if readers eventually switch to reading online only, he said.

"It's getting ahead of something that inevitably will happen and creating a business strategy around maintaining the viability of being a paid product," Gott said.

Many news publications are taking another look at charging for online access as revenue from Internet ads fails to offset losses from print ads and subscriptions.

Variety's move will also prove an interesting test case to see if niche audiences are willing to pay for specialized reporting.

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