Metro International

Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg. It publishes a free newspaper called Metro. The company was founded by Per Andersson and started as part of the Modern Times Group along with Viasat Broadcasting. Today, it is controlled by an investment company called Custos, owned by Mats Qviberg.

The first edition of the newspaper was called Metro Stockholm and was given out in the Stockholm metro. By 2012, all the European versions of the newspaper were sold.

Metro newspapers

As of October 2009, there were 56 daily editions of the Metro newspaper in 15 languages and 19 countries. These countries are in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Over 17 million people read Metro every day, and more than 37 million read it each week.

Metro newspapers are given out for free in busy places where many people travel, like train stations and bus stops. They are also handed out by people on weekdays. On Saturdays, Metro is published in Stockholm, Santiago, São Paulo, and Lima. These papers are found in areas where lots of people live.

Metro International began some editions in Canada in 2000. This led to other newspapers like Sun Media's 24 Hours starting up too.

Sometimes, the name of the Metro newspaper changes in different places because of naming rules. In Peru, Chile, and Mexico, the paper is called Publimetro. The Spanish version is called Metro Directo.

Not all newspapers called Metro are part of Metro International. For example, Associated Newspapers publish another free paper also called Metro in twelve areas of Britain. This UK Metro is not connected to Metro International. However, they worked together on the Dublin Metro Herald newspaper, which started on October 10, 2005.

There are other newspapers named Metro that are not part of Metro International either. In Belgium, a company called Mass Transit Media publishes a free daily paper called Metro. In California, United States, there is a free weekly paper called Metro Silicon Valley that started in 1985. These also have no connection to Metro International.

In 2013, Metro International sold its Metro Daily paper in Hong Kong to a local businessman.

Timeline of Metro editions

• Metro started in Stockholm on February 13, 1995.
• The first international edition began in Budapest, Hungary in 1998.
• A German-language edition called Metropol started in Switzerland on January 31, 2000, but stopped in 2002.
• A Spanish edition named Publimetro began in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2000 but stopped a year later.
• A weekly magazine called Metropop started in Hong Kong on April 27, 2006.
• Metro launched a technology paper called Metro Teknik in late 2006.
• Metro closed its Polish edition on January 5, 2007, and later sold its business in Finland.
• The Croatian Metro edition stopped in October 2008.
• Metro International closed its Spanish operations on January 29, 2009, and sold its US papers later that year.
• Metro International left the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm stock exchange on May 31, 2012.
• The French version of Metro stopped in August 2016, as did the Portuguese version in September 2016.
• Metro stopped printing in Sweden in August 2019.
• The last Netherlands edition of Metro was printed on March 20, 2020, but continues online.

Metro editions by region

Asia

In South Korea, Metro is available in Busan and Seoul. It was the first free newspaper in South Korea and the only one officially sold there after another free newspaper stopped in 2014.

In Hong Kong, Metro used to be given out at train stations across Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, Tsuen Wan, and Tseung Kwan O until 2019. After that, it became an online newspaper only.

Europe

Metro has editions in the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands (online only), Russia, and Sweden. It is also published in many big cities.

In Belgium, there is a newspaper with the same name, but it is not owned by Metro International. The newspaper in the United Kingdom is also not part of the Metro network. In France, a newspaper called Metronews was bought and combined with another company.

North America

In Canada, the first Metro paper started in Toronto in 2000 and later appeared in many cities. By 2023, all Canadian editions had stopped.

The English-language paper, called StarMetro (newspaper), was shared with Torstar. Later, another company stopped it in Ottawa. In Montreal, the French-language Métro is still published and reaches about one million readers, but it stopped printing in August 2023.

In Mexico, Publimetro is sold in Mexico City, Monterrey, Morelia, Puebla, Mérida, Leon, and Querétaro.

In the United States, Metro was published in places like Boston, Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, and New York. The New York edition joined with another paper to become AM New York Metro. In July 2025, the Philadelphia edition was sold to a different company. Today, only Metro Philadelphia remains.

Nicaragua has Metro in Managua, and Guatemala has it in Guatemala City.

South America

In Brazil, Metro is sold in Belo Horizonte and São Paulo.

Chile has Metro in Concepción, Rancagua, Santiago, Talcahuano, and Valparaíso.

Colombia editions are in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla.

Ecuador has Metro in Guayaquil, Quito, and Cuenca.

In Peru, Metro is published in Lima.