METRO LAUNCHED IN HELSINKI TODAY The launch of the Finnish-language version of Metro in Helsinki went entirely according to plan today. This morning, 140,000 copies of the newspaper were distributed to travelers on the subway, trolleys, and busses. "The papers were snapped up just as fast as they have been on the first day in other cities," says H.C. Ejemyr, president of MTG Publishing. The paper is distributed from 1,500 locations in the Finnish capital. Metro is distributed based on agreements with the Helsinki public transportation authority and the bus companies Linjebuss, Stagecoach, and Suomen Turistiauto. Metro in Helsinki follows the same editorial policy as the original concept from Stockholm: tight news summaries of high quality. Since earlier this summer, the English-language Metro Europe has been available in Helsinki, in conjunction with the Finnish presidency of the European Union. Metro was published for the first time in Stockholm, in 1995. The first foreign edition was published two years later, in Prague. Last year, local editions were added in Budapest and Gothenburg, Sweden. This summer, Metro was also introduced to Holland. Today, an agreement was signed to extend distribution in that country. Starting Monday, September 13, Metro will be available in the Rotterdam subway. On that same date, Metro will debut in Malmö, Sweden. Agreements have also been signed to commence publication of Metro within the next six months in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in Santiago, Chile. For additional information, please contact H.C. Ejemyr, president of MTG Publishing, at +46 8 402 9907 Modern Times Group MTG AB is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange's O list (symbol: MTG) and on the Nasdaq National Market in New York (symbol: MTGNY). ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/09/07/19990907BIT00520/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/09/07/19990907BIT00520/bit0002.pdf