Johnston Press, the publisher of The Scotsman, is to introduce paywalls on a selection of its weekly newspaper sites as of Monday 30 November according to reports by HoldtheFrontPage.

HoldtheFrontPage says it “has learned” of the plan which will see the paid-for model rolled out across the company in an effort to monetise its online content as it attempts “to find a sustainable business model going forward”.

Rupert Murdoch's News International has previously stated its intentions to erect paywalls on its national titles as of next spring, but if reports are true then Johnston Press will be the first regional publisher to trial the model – which could open the floodgates for other publishers to follow.

The initiative will restrict users of selected Johnston Press sites from viewing content beyond the homepage without payment of a £5 three-month subscription.

Johnston Press owns 18 daily newspapers and 300 weekly papers. The paywall will be around weeklies only, but it is thought that dailies will follow suit should the experiment prove successful.