Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the freesheet newspaper Metro. The company was founded by Per Andersson, and started as a subsidiary of the Modern Times Group along with Viasat Broadcasting. It is now controlled through the Mats Qviberg-owned-investment company Custos. The first edition of the newspaper was published as Metro Stockholm and distributed in the Stockholm metro. , all European editions (except for the Hungarian one) have been sold.

Metro newspapers

, there were 56 daily editions in 15 languages and in 19 countries across Europe, North and South America, and Asia, for an audience of more than 17 million daily readers and 37 million weekly readers. Metro newspaper editions are distributed in high-traffic commuter zones or in public transport networks via a combination of self-service racks and by-hand distributors on weekdays. Saturday editions are published in Stockholm, Santiago, São Paulo, and Lima. The distribution points are located in high-density population areas. Metro International launched several editions in Canada in 2000, leading to the creation of several commuter newspaper competitors, such as Sun Media's 24 Hours. The local name of Metro newspaper editions sometimes vary due to trademark issues. Peruvian, Chilean, and Mexican editions are called Publimetro, and the Spanish edition is called Metro Directo. Not all newspapers named Metro are part of the Metro International Group. Associated Newspapers publishes another freesheet called Metro in twelve areas around Britain. This UK Metro is not related to Metro International, which used the name Morning News for its (now defunct) free sheet distributed there. However, Metro International and Associated Metro collaborated on the Dublin Metro Herald newspaper (launched 10 October 2005), which they both own a third of, along with The Irish Times. The Dublin Metro newspaper uses the Associated Metro logo and format, however. It is reported that Metro International has plans to launch a rival-free evening newspaper in London. There are also other examples of newspapers named Metro that are not part of Metro International Group. In Belgium, Mass Transit Media, a joint venture of Concentra and Rossel, publishes the free daily newspaper Metro. In California, United States, Metro Silicon Valley is a free weekly newspaper founded in 1985. Neither of these newspapers have links to Metro International. In Hong Kong, Metro International sold Metro Daily in 2013 to a local businessman.

Timeline of Metro editions

Metro editions by region

Asia

Europe

There are national editions in the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands (online only), Russia, and Sweden (Metro). City editions of Metro are published in many major cities. Belgium has a bilingual free newspaper with the same name, but it is not owned by Metro International. Likewise, Metro in the United Kingdom is not part of the network. In France, the Metronews has been acquired and merged by the media company LCI - itself property of TF1.

North America

Nicaragua: Metro is published in Managua. Guatemala: Metro is published in Guatemala City.

South America