The Associated Press will give discounted rates to newspapers and get rid of restrictions on articles in response to newspapers ending agreements with the news service, the AP announced Thursday.

The AP's board of directors decided to “provide all member newspapers complete access to all AP text content, at no extra cost,” Media Bistro reported Friday. The AP's finances are decreasing while a number of newspapers have criticised the AP's price scheme, The New York Times reported.

The AP is a non-profit corporation owned by more than 1,400 U.S. member newspapers, according to The New York Times.

The new all-access price reduction will save US$9 million, in addition to the $21 million saved by prior rate decreases, Media Bistro reported.

"We fully understand the pain and the challenges of our members, and we have worked to address these concerns,” said Tom Curley, president and CEO of the AP. “For two years, we held rates flat, with no increases. This year we rolled out plans to reduce assessments by up to 10 percent, while providing a far greater range of content. Because of the downturn in the global economy, we are at a point where we must now examine more than just what content costs — but also how AP deals with all of its members and customers."