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Metro International
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other newspapers with the same name, see Metro (newspaper).
Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995.[1]
The company was founded by Pelle Andersson and started as a subsidiary of the Modern Times Group along with Viasat Broadcasting. It is now controlled through investment company Kinnevik. The first newspaper edition was published and distributed for the Metro Stockholm in the Stockholm Metro.
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As of January 2007, there are 70 daily editions in over 100 major cities in 20 countries in 18 languages across Europe, North & South America and Asia for an audience of more than 20 million daily readers and over 42 million weekly readers.[2]
The Metro newspaper editions are distributed in high-traffic commuter zones or in public transport networks from a combination of self-service racks and by hand distributors on weekdays. Weekend editions are also published in Stockholm and Santiago on Saturdays. The distribution points are located either in, or around, public transport networks (subways, trains, buses, trams), office buildings, retail outlets, at key distribution points on busy streets, or in other high-density population areas such as college campuses.
The local name of the Metro newspaper editions may vary due to trademark issues. Chilean and Mexican editions are called Publimetro, the Spanish one is named Metro Directo. Another freesheet called Metro is published in 12 areas around Britain by Associated Newspapers: see Metro (Associated Metro Limited). In the UK, this is not related to Metro International, which used the name Morning News for its (now defunct) freesheet distributed in parts of the UK.
It is reported that Metro International has plans to launch a rival free evening newspaper in London. Metro International and Associated Metro do however collaborate on the Dublin Metro newspaper (launched 10 October 2005), which they both own a third of, along with The Irish Times. The Dublin Metro newspaper uses the Associated Metro logo and format however [3].
Metro launched several editions in Canada during 2006, leading to the creation of several commuter newspaper competitors, such as Sun Media's 24 Hours.
- Metro was first launched in Stockholm on 13 February 1995.
- A German-language edition was published in Switzerland by "Metro Publication (Schweiz) AG" under the name Metropol on 31 January 2000 as a direct competitor to 20 Minuten. The newspaper ceased publication without announcement on 13 February 2002.
- In 2000, a Spanish edition named Publimetro was published in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a circulation of 390,000.[4] Facing competition from the free daily La Razon published by Grupo Clarin, Publimetro was "suspended" indefinitely a year later.[5]
- A weekly magazine named Metropop started to be published on April 27, 2006, on every Thursday in Hong Kong.
- Due to financial difficulties in the press sector in general, and the free press in particular, Metro International closed down its Polish edition on January 5, 2007. Earlier, the Danish afternoon version of the newspaper was closed down, and the business in Finland sold.
- Metro International - Official site