Free sheet Metro was introduced into the public transportation in the Helsinki area in September 1999 to provide information and enjoyment to commuters. In ten years Metro has established its position and become the fourth most read newspaper in Finland with about 400,000 readers.
A year ago Metro was merged with the free sheet Uutislehti 100, combining Metro's internationally successful concept with letting the readers participate in creating news.
"We managed to create a product that readers like, and which, at the same time, appeals to our advertisers," says Janne Kaijärvi, Metro's Editor-in-Chief.
"More proof of Metro's excellent concept is that the paper's media sales have grown this year, too."
Over the years, Metro has changed the way media is consumed and information is shared.
"Metro has been a forerunner for an entirely new way of making and distributing news. It has brought about a change on the news scene: in 1995, when the newspaper was founded in Stockholm, free news distribution was found a strange thing to do. Today, Metro is the most widely read news sheet in the world," says Kaijärvi.
Metro is published in more than 100 cities in 21 countries. Its global readership counts more than 20 million people. In Finland, Metro is distributed in the Helsinki area and in Hyvinkää, Lahti, Jokela, Järvenpää, Kerava, Mäntsälä and Riihimäki.
Since 2006, Metro Finland has been part of the Sanoma News division of the Sanoma Group.
Free sheet Metro is part of Sanoma News, the newspaper division of the Sanoma Group.