May 6 (Reuters) - New York Times ( NYT ) on Wednesday

added digital-only subscribers above estimates, helped by

stronger demand for news as readers closely followed

fast-changing global political and economic developments.

Shares of the Times rose nearly 5% in early trading.

Heightened global tension, including ongoing wars and shifts

in U.S. policies, have kept audiences engaged, prompting higher

news consumption and boosting traffic to the company's digital

platforms.

The New York Times ( NYT ) has steadily positioned itself as a

subscription-first media group, expanding beyond core news into

bundled offerings that include games, lifestyle content and

sports.

The newspaper added 310,000 net digital-only subscribers in

the first quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of

270,513, according to data compiled by Visible Alpha.