STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 19, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metro International S.A. ("Metro") (Nasdaq:MTROA) (Nasdaq:MTROB), the international newspaper group, today announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with The Boston Globe, bringing together two of the world's best known newspaper brands. Metro's Boston edition and The Boston Globe will cooperate on advertising sales to the recruitment advertising market in America's sixth largest metropolitan area. The recruitment sales division of The Boston Globe will cooperate with Metro to sell combined advertising packages, enabling recruiters and advertisers to target more than 400,000 daily commuters in the Boston area. This agreement includes sales for Metro's new weekly recruitment section, which will be published each Monday from May 6, 2002.
The combination of the daily recruitment sections in The Boston Globe and Metro will reach 52% of the adult population in Boston, according to the 2001/2002 Gallup Poll of Media Usage & Consumer Behaviour. The combination of The Boston Globe, Boston.com and Metro will reach more than 2 million adults. The Greater Boston area has a population of 3.8 million and is one of the U.S' major media markets, generating annual newspaper advertising revenues of nearly U.S. $1 billion.
Metro's Boston edition was launched in May 2001 and distributes 185,000 daily copies by hand and from racks outside commuter train, subway and bus stations, in office buildings and on fifteen college campuses in the Greater Boston area. Metro is the third largest newspaper in Boston by circulation.
Pelle Tornberg, President & CEO of Metro International, commented: "This agreement clearly shows how we can work with traditional newspapers to deliver unrivalled reach for advertisers by developing flexible new products and services."
"Metro has the unique ability to reach a new generation of newspaper readers, delivering a target audience of young, professional, urban commuters. This type of partnership therefore enables advertisers to reach a larger proportion of the market and a wide demographic profile. Metro has become extremely popular in Boston, and the edition has attracted a solid readership of young professionals who read Metro during their daily commute.
"This new agreement will increase our sales significantly and positions Metro even more strongly in the local market."
Metro is the world's largest free newspaper, publishing and distributing 23 editions in 15 countries in 13 languages: Stockholm (Metro), Prague (Metro), Gothenburg (Metro), Hungary (Metro), the Netherlands (Metro), Helsinki (Metro), Malmo (Metro), Santiago (Publimetro), Philadelphia (Metro), Toronto (Metro Today), Rome (Metro), Milan (Metro), Warsaw (Metropol), Athens (Metrorama), Montreal (Metro), Barcelona (Metro Directe), Boston (Metro), Madrid (Metro Directo), Copenhagen (MetroXpress), Paris (Metro), Marseille (Metro), Lyon (Metro) and Hong Kong (Metropolis Daily).
Metro International S.A. 'A' and 'B' shares are listed on the NASDAQ National Market and on the Stockholmsborsen O-List under the symbols MTROA and MTROB.
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