Metro launches new edition in Copenhagen and will now reach more than 9 million daily readers worldwide

METRO LAUNCHES NEW EDITION IN COPENHAGEN AND WILL NOW REACH MORE THAN 9 MILLION DAILY READERS WORLDWIDE Metro International S.A. ("Metro"), the international newspaper group, today announced the launch of a new edition in the capital city of Denmark. Metro now has operations in fifteen countries around the world and will have over nine million daily readers in 21 markets around the world. 130,000 copies of 'MetroXpress' will be distributed free of charge on Monday morning in the Greater Copenhagen area, which has a population of 1.7 million. The copies will be distributed by hand in the city center and on Copenhagen's commuter trains, under agreement with DSB 'S-tog' (the Greater Copenhagen rail network). The launch of 'MetroXpress' in Copenhagen marks the first entry into the Danish market, and the further extension of Metro's operations in the Nordic region. 'MetroXpress' will immediately be the largest newspaper in Copenhagen. With editions in the Swedish cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, 'Metro' is already the most read daily morning newspaper in Sweden with over 1 million readers. Metro's Helsinki edition is also the second most read daily newspaper in the Helsinki region. The Öresund region, which encompasses southern Sweden and Denmark, has 3 million inhabitants. The region is the most heavily populated area in Scandinavia, has the highest level of economic growth in the Nordic countries, and is now the fifth largest educational center in Europe. Metro, with its editions in Malmö and Copenhagen, will be the only newspaper to cover the total region, and will therefore be uniquely positioned to capitalize on this strong economic development and concentration of public and private sector investment. Metro owns 70% of the company which operates 'MetroXpress' in Copenhagen, while the Danish publishing group, A-Pressen, owns the remaining 30%. A-Pressen is owned by LO, the national association of Denmark's employment unions. Metro and A-Pressen will therefore share both the investments in, and revenues from, the new edition. The annual print advertising market in Copenhagen is reported to be worth US$ 200 million, equivalent to 42% of the national annual print media spend. Pelle Törnberg, President & CEO of Metro International, commented: "Denmark represents a considerable opportunity for Metro. There is a clear gap in the market for a newspaper that can attract the lost generation of young newspaper readers. The latest Gallup worldwide readership survey provided further evidence that we are able to deliver this audience, with over 40% of our daily readers under the age of 30 and half our readers are female." "We have received a very positive reaction from the media buying community who have expressed concern about the ageing and declining readership of the traditional newspaper segment by shifting media spend to other media. The advertising market in Denmark is healthy and has been more robust over the first half of 2001 than the majority of northern European markets. Furthermore, there is a concentration of media spend in the capital city, where MetroXpress will be the largest newspaper." For further information, please visit www.metro.lu, email info@sharedvalue.net or contact: Pelle Törnberg, President & CEO tel: +44 (0) 20 7408 0230 Matthew Hooper, Investor & Press Relations tel: +44 (0) 20 7321 5010 Metro is the world's largest free newspaper with 21 editions in 15 countries in 14 languages. Metro does not belong to the traditional newspaper segment but combines the reach (40% of readers are under 30 years of age and 50% are female) and content mix (local, regional, national and international editorial and advertising) of a printed broadcaster. Metro International S.A. publishes and distributes 21 editions of its free daily newspaper: Stockholm (Metro), Prague (Metro), Gothenburg (Metro), Hungary (Metro), the Netherlands (Metro), Helsinki (Metro), Malmö (Metro), Santiago (Publimetro), Philadelphia (Metro), Zurich (Metropol), Toronto (Metro Today), Rome (Metro), Buenos Aires (Publimetro), Milan (Metro), Warsaw (Metropol), Athens (Metrorama), Montreal (Metro), Barcelona (Metro Directe), Boston (Metro), Madrid (Metro Directo) and Copenhagen (MetroXpress). 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/31/20010831BIT00020/bit0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/31/20010831BIT00020/bit0001.pdf