BERTRANGE, Luxembourg, April 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metro International S.A. ("Metro"), the international newspaper group, today announced that it will publish a special English language "Olympic Edition" in Greece this summer to mark the return of the Olympic Games to their original home. The special paper will build on Metro's existing daily 'Metrorama' publication, which has established itself as the second most read daily news title in Athens. Metro also publishes the 'Ticket' monthly magazine in Athens.
The "Olympic Edition" will be published daily during the Olympics between 2 and 29 August and distributed from Metro 'rack' placements and by hand distributors at Olympic event venues and major tourist attractions. The distribution system will also be extended to include key transport facilities, hotels, restaurants and the boats that connect the mainland with the numerous Greek island destinations.
The special edition will feature news and information about the Olympics with both English and Greek language pages. The target audience is the huge number of visitors who will flood to Athens this Summer to watch and take part in the event. Metro's global editorial network -- Metro World News -- will help to ensure that 'Metrorama' reporters on the ground in Athens keep Metro readers around the world up to date with the very latest news and analysis from the world's biggest sporting event.
Pelle Tornberg, President and CEO, commented: "The world's attention will focus on Greece this Summer as the Olympic Games return to the land of their birth. Metro will provide all the news and information that sports fans, tourists and everyone following the games will need during their visit -- from event and tour guides to results, and from interviews with the world's leading sports stars and famous spectators to the major national and international news. This is the first time that an international newspaper has dedicated a standalone edition to the coverage of the games."
The Olympic Games in Sydney four years ago were televised in 220 countries around the world, attracted 1.6 million out of town visitors and 23 million people used the local transport networks during the games. Sydney 2000 also generated US$ 780 million in ticket sales and US$ 420 million in merchandise sales. This is big business and Metro will provide the means for advertisers to reach their target audiences and promote their brands and products throughout the Games.
"This special edition is the latest in a number of successful line extensions launched by Metro, which have included a weekly football paper in Italy, real estate papers in Sweden and a special edition that will be published in Holland during this Summer's European Football Championships."
For further information, please visit www.metro.lu, email info@metro.lu or contact:
Pelle Tornberg, President & CEO tel: +44 (0) 20 7016 1300
Matthew Hooper, Investor & Press Relations tel: +44 (0) 20 7321 5010
Metro is the largest international newspaper in the world, publishing daily editions in 16 countries in Europe, North & South America and Asia. Metro attracts more than 13 million daily readers and over 28 million weekly readers. Metro editions therefore reach 30% of the population of over 100 million within Metro's distribution areas. Metro derives its revenues from advertising sales, which have grown at a compound annual rate of 47% since the launch of the first edition in 1995. Metro International S.A. 'A' and 'B' shares are listed on the Stockholmsborsen 'O-List' under the symbols MTROA and MTROB.
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