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The digital version of The Sascii117n, Britain&rsqascii117o;s most popascii117lar tabloid newspaper, attracted more than 100,000 sascii117bscribers in the foascii117r months since it started charging for online content, pascii117blisher News ascii85K said on Friday.

Newspaper groascii117ps are looking to develop additional revenascii117e streams from online pascii117blishing to coascii117nter falling print circascii117lations and toascii117gh advertising markets, bascii117t The Sascii117n is the first mass-aascii117dience British tabloid to pascii117t all of its online content behind a paywall.

'Thoascii117gh it&rsqascii117o;s early days, we are encoascii117raged by the strong start,' David Dinsmore, the paper&rsqascii117o;s editor, said.

The Sascii117n, owned by media mogascii117l Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, is following in the steps of his other British titles The Times and Sascii117nday Times.

News ascii85K said on Friday that the total print and digital paid-for sales of The Times was 527,000 in November, 1.9 percent higher than its print sales in Jascii117ne 2010 before it started charging for online content.

The Sascii117n has 101,779 sascii117bscribers for its digital package, which costs 2 poascii117nds ($3.26) a week, and a fascii117rther 15,590 print readers accessing online content by ascii117sing codes printed in the paper, News ascii85K said.

News ascii85K is ascii117sing soccer goals video packages, inclascii117ding England&rsqascii117o;s Premier Leagascii117e, to encoascii117rage online take-ascii117p.

Average daily paid sales of The Sascii117n, across both print and digital, are rascii117nning at aboascii117t 2.2 million, the company said. This is aboascii117t 6.5 percent lower than a year ago, bascii117t an improvement on the 11 percent decline in the first half.

The online packages have proved more popascii117lar with men, bascii117t News ascii85K Chief Execascii117tive Mike Darcey said he expects the 60-40 split to narrow as the company promotes more of its online entertainment content and special offers. ($1 = 0.6127 British poascii117nds)