Metro International  SA  ("Metro International"),  the  international
newspaper group, today announced that it has entered into a franchise
agreement with Gazeta Metro in Moscow.

Metro International has  formed a  joint venture with  ESN Group  and
this joint venture  has acquired a  stake in Gazeta  Metro, the  most
read free newspaper in Moscow.

ESN Group is a Russian investment company, investing in and  managing
assets in the  energy, engineering, real  estate, transportation  and
media sectors.

Gazeta Metro was  started in  1997 as a  partnership between  Sistema
Group, the Moscow city government and Moscow Metropolitan (the Moscow
subway owner and operator). Gazeta Metro is distributed in the Moscow
subway and  with  400,000  daily  readers  is  the  third  most  read
newspaper in the city.[1]

Metro International  has,  through its  new  joint venture  with  ESN
Group, an effective equity interest of 0.81% in Gazeta Metro.  Gazeta
Metro's other shareholders include  the founding shareholders  Moscow
Metropolitan and the Moscow city government.

Metro International holds an option  to acquire additional shares  in
Gazeta Metro. ESN Group, through a  coupled option, has the right  to
acquire  an  equity   stake  in   Metro  St.   Petersburg,  a   Metro
International franchisee since 2005.

Metro International will receive a  franchise fee from January  2009,
reflecting  Metro  International's  engagement  in  the  running  and
development of Gazeta Metro.

With Metro International's support  Gazeta Metro will be  re-launched
and rebranded in  2009 to make  it consistent with  the strong  brand
that Metro International has developed globally.  Metro International
will work  closely  with  Gazeta  Metro  to  ensure  that  the  Metro
International Group's know-how is fully implemented at Gazeta Metro.

Synergies between Gazeta  Metro and  Metro St.  Petersburg exist  and
these will be exploited. These synergies include content sharing  and
advertising sales  packages.  Together  Metro Moscow  and  Metro  St.
Petersburg have the highest readership  of any newspaper in  Russia's
largest two cities.

Moscow is Russia's leading economic  centre by a sizeable margin  and
with its population of 13.5 million inhabitants is one of the largest
cities in the world. Zenith  Optimedia estimates that Russia's  gross
newspaper advertising market grew 19.1 % year on year in 2007 to  US$
11 billion.

Per Mikael Jensen, Metro International's President and CEO commented:
"The very pleasing development  of Metro in  St. Petersburg over  the
last three and a half years  has made us receptive towards  expanding
further in Russia. We have for many years kept a watchful eye on  the
media sector in Moscow, waiting  for the right opportunity. With  ESN
Group as our partner  as well as subway  distribution rights we  hope
over time to establish Metro in Moscow as a leading print medium. The
Moscow advertising market is much larger than that of St.  Petersburg
and therefore this joint venture has significant promise."

[1] Source: TNS Gallup


For further information please contact:

Per      Mikael       Jensen,       CEO       and tel: +44 (0)20 7016
President                                         1300
Robert Patterson, EVP                             tel: +44 (0)20 7016
                                                  1300


                                 ***

ABOUT METRO INTERNATIONAL AND METRO
Metro is the largest international  newspaper in the world. Metro  is
published in over  150 major  cities in 20  countries across  Europe,
North & South  America and Asia.  Metro has a  unique global reach  -
attracting a young,  active, well-educated  Metropolitan audience  of
over 20 million daily readers.  Metro's advertising sales have  grown
at a  compound annual  rate of  38%  since the  launch of  the  first
edition in 1995.

Metro International 'A' and 'B' shares  are listed on the OMX  Nordic
Exchange's Nordic List under the symbols MTRO SBD A and MTRO SBD B.


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