83% of Rome subway commuters approve of Metro free daily paper

83% of Rome subway commuters approve of 'Metro' free daily paper Metro International S.A. (MTROA / MTROB) (Metro International), today announced that the public transport authority (COTRAL) in Rome, Italy, has conducted a survey which shows that 80% of subway commuters believe that the recently launched 'Metro' free daily newspaper is a useful service. The survey was conducted by COTRAL in 9 subway stations in Rome in order to assess commuters' views about the newspaper, 3 weeks after it was launched in Rome on July 3rd, 2000. The survey showed that 87% of the 1,647 respondents were aware of Metro, of which: 92% believed 'Metro' is a useful service for commuters 82% read 'Metro' and 57% read it frequently 95% described 'Metro' as 'good' or 'very good' 92% found the page of transport information provided by COTRAL in the newspaper 'useful' and 56% found it 'very useful' 75% took their copy of 'Metro' out of the subway system after reading it 80% read other daily newspapers Fabrizio Paladini, Editor in Chief of Metro in Rome, commented: "This survey shows commuters read our paper, that they like it, that they take it with them after traveling on the subway, and that they often read another daily newspaper as well. The response demonstrates the effectiveness of our partnership with COTRAL and that 'Metro' is growing the overall newspaper market. "The 'Metro' concept is clear - to provide free local, national and international news and useful information that can be read in a typical commuter journey of 15-20 minutes, and to present it in a format that encourages commuters to take the paper with them, making it available to additional readers outside the subway system." Metro International S.A. publishes and distributes free daily newspapers, comprising 14 editions in 11 countries: Stockholm ('Metro' & 'Everyday'), Gothenburg ('Metro'), Malmö ('Metro'), Helsinki ('Metro'), Prague ('Metro'), Budapest ('Metro'), Holland ('Metro'), Newcastle ('Morning News'), Zurich ('Metropol'), Santiago ('MTG'), Rome ('Metro'), Philadelphia ('Metro') and Toronto ('Metro'). Metro International S.A. 'A' and 'B' shares are listed on the SBI list in Stockholm and on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbols MTROA and MTROB. For further information, please visit www.clubmetro.com, email info@sharedvalue.net or contact: Fabrizio Paladini, Editor in Chief, +39 06 492 411 'Metro' Rome Pelle Törnberg, President & CEO of +44 (0) 20 7408 Metro International 0230 Metro International S.A. 75, Route de Longwy LU-8080 Bertrange, Luxembourg ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/10/03/20001003BIT00250/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/10/03/20001003BIT00250/bit0002.pdf