The New York Times said it is discontinuing its separate operation for Spanish-language readers NYT en Espanol
The New York Times said it is discontinuing its separate operation for Spanish-language readers NYT en Espanol GETTY IMAGES / Ramin Talaie

The New York Times is shutting down its Spanish-language service called NYT en Espanol, saying it was not "financially successful."

The service launched in 2016 had included around 10 "high-quality original and translated" New York Times stories a day in Spanish.

"We launched NYT en Espanol as part of an experiment to reach and engage more international readers by extending our coverage to different languages," the newspaper said in a statement.

"While the Espanol site did attract a new audience for our journalism and consistently produced coverage we are very proud of, it did not prove financially successful. Our strategy is now focused on our subscription-driven core news report for a global audience."

The Times said that editors "will continue to translate signature journalism into more than a dozen languages — including Spanish," following the shutdown of the service.

"This change does not affect our coverage of Latin America, which will remain robust with dedicated staff based in Medellin, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro," the company said.

The prestigious US daily has been navigating a difficult transition to digital as it seeks to expand its readership globally.

In its most recent quarterly update, the Times said it added some 197,000 new digital subscriber and claimed to be on track toward a goal of 10 million by 2025.