The Times to have online TV channel

LONDON  - News Corp. revealed on Monday its British newspaper The Times

is on the verge of launching a broadband television news service to build on its

rapidly expanding stable of Internet offerings.

Les Hinton, the executive chairman of News International, the UK newspaper

division of Rupert Murdoch's global media empire, did not provide many details

about the service, but said it would pull together content from its partners and

be sponsored by network equipment maker .

He made the disclosure about Times TV during a speech in Moscow at the World

Newspaper Congress. A text of his remarks was later sent to Reuters.

"Our strategy is to protect and extend," Hinton said. "While

we grow and protect the circulations of our newspapers, we are extending our

online and mobile audiences."

He noted that online revenue at The Times increased 45 per cent year over

year, fueled by mobile downloads of crossword and sudoku puzzles.

"We plan to triple our page impressions in the next few years for Times

Online -- which of course includes The Sunday Times," Hinton said.

"Huge investments are necessary so that the technology can match our

planned developments."

News Corp. also recently announced plans to publish a print edition of the

newspaper in the United States based on the popularity of the Web site among

Americans.

Its Sun tabloid newspaper also has made great strides on the Internet, Hinton

said, pointing to sales of ringtones, fantasy soccer leagues and online poker

embedded in the Web versions of its famed Page 3, which features a topless woman

each day.

Murdoch last year announced a huge planned investment on the Internet, and

has already acquired several Web businesses including MySpace.com.