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Metro International S.A. is a Luxembourg limited-liability company
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METRO LAUNCHES 20TH NEWSPAPER EDITION
27 August 2001
August 27th, 2001....Metro International S.A. ("Metro"), the international newspaper group, today announced the launch of 'Metro Directo' in Madrid, the capital city of Spain. 'Metro Directo' is the twentieth edition of Metro, the second edition to be launched in Spain, and the fourth edition to be launched in the Spanish-speaking world. Metro is now the fifth largest newspaper in the world, by circulation, as well as the largest newspaper in the Barcelona and Madrid regions.
'Metro Directo' was published in Madrid for the first time this morning. The daily circulation will rise to 250,000 copies in the coming weeks, making 'Metro Directo' the largest newspaper in Spain. 'Metro Directo' is distributed free of charge and by hand outside commuter train, subway and bus stations in the city centre and suburbs, and will shortly be available from racks in office buildings and other high traffic points in the City. Madrid has a population of 4.5 million and is one of Europe's major cultural and commercial centers. The annual print advertising market in Madrid was reported to be worth US$ 330 million in 2000.
190,000 daily copies of 'Metro Directe' are already distributed by hand and from racks in the Catalonia region, which comprises Barcelona and its suburbs. With the launch in Madrid, Metro now has access to national print advertising spend in Spain, which was reported to be US$ 1.6 billion in 2000 and is estimated to grow by 5.5% in 2001.
Pelle Törnberg, President and CEO of Metro International, commented: "We have built on the success of our Barcelona edition, which had over 2 readers per copy only 2 months after launch, and will now have national coverage and a leading position in the Spanish market. This launch gives us access to growing local and national print advertising markets, and enables us to leverage our strong market presence in order to exploit cross-selling opportunities, synergies and operational cost efficiencies."
"The established Spanish newspapers are currently struggling with an ageing, male-dominated readership. We believe the launch of Metro Directo in Madrid will attract a new and younger audience that other newspapers have not reached. Our appeal to younger and female readers is what has made Metro Directe a success with advertisers in Barcelona and around the world."
"Both the ongoing operations and this new launch will be funded by a combination of cash flows from operations, existing Group credit facilities, the continuing support of our major shareholders, and financing to be secured from the capital markets."
Metro International S.A. 'A' and 'B' shares are listed on the NASDAQ National Market and on the Stockholmsbörsen O-List under the symbols MTROA and MTROB.