BERTRANGE, Luxembourg, March 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metro International S.A. ("Metro"), the international newspaper group, today announced that that it has extended its distribution contract with MTR Corporation Ltd. until 14 April 2010. The agreement gives Metro the right to distribute the Metro free newspaper from racks in Hong Kong's subway network, which is used by more than 2.2 million commuters every day.
Metro is currently distributing more than 300,000 copies daily throughout Hong Kong at 49 MTR stations. The contract was initially awarded in April 2002 for a period of three years with the option for a further five-year extension.
Peter Kuo, MD Metro Asia, commented: "Distribution through the MTR network has been a successful way of reaching a young, active and well-educated audience. Metro will continue targeting this audience, which is hard to reach through other media and is very attractive to advertisers. We are grateful for MTR's continuing support".
Pelle Tornberg, President and CEO, commented: "Our Hong Kong operation has experienced significant growth since its launch and we expect to see further expansion. The MTR network is an efficient means of reaching the young professional commuting public that Metro targets".
For further information, please visit www.metro.lu, email info@metro.lu or contact: Pelle Tornberg, President & CEO tel: +44 (0) 20 7016 1300 Henrik Persson, Corporate Communications tel: +46 (0) 8 562 000 87
Metro is the largest and fastest growing international newspaper in the world. 46 daily Metro editions are published in 68 major cities in 17 countries in 16 languages across Europe, North & South America and Asia. Metro has a unique global reach - attracting a young, active, well-educated audience of more than 15 million daily readers and over 33 million weekly readers. Metro has an equal number of male and female readers and 70% are under the age of 45. Metro's advertising sales 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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