Australia’s Fairfax Media will test a new paywall on overseas readers next week ahead of a local launch.

The metered system for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald websites is said to be similar to that for the New York Times.

From Tuesday, readers in North America, Europe and the Middle East will get an allocation of ten free stories before a $15 a month subscription takes effect.

Readers in the Asia Pacific will be offered a variety of subscription options – and a greater number of free articles – from mid-year, with those who subscribe to the print edition for two or more days being given complimentary access.

Access to the homepage, photo galleries and videos will not be metered, as well as access via search engines and email newsletters.

Metro media chief executive Jack Matthews says the company researched and tested digital subscription options extensively: “The meter model is proving to be the most successful with publishers overseas because it’s easy to understand and it enables less-frequent readers to continue to visit the websites,” he says.

“Our readers understand that we must introduce subscriptions so we can keep bringing them the best in digital news innovation.”

Fairfax is introducing new tools including an archives search, and an interactive curated e-books service. It is also looking to expand revenue with “unique” offers.

The company introduced new websites for the titles after the move to 'compact' tabloid print formats a fortnight ago.