Rupert Murdoch could start charging for the online content of newspapers such as The Times or The Sun within the year, the News Corp chairman said last night, becoming the first non-financial newspaper owner to bet that consumers will pay for what they currently get for free.

The success of News Corp’s Wall Street Journal in charging for its business news had convinced him that “it is possible to charge for content”. News Corp would test the pay model on one of its stronger titles, he said, predicting that digital revenue growth could offset the declines in print newspapers within about two years.