Free papers dominate markets

With free-of-charge daily Metro, we started a newspaper revolution in Stockholm eleven years ago. February 13, 1995 was a Monday like any other in the Swedish capital; grey, dark and cold. The only thing that made this Monday special was that all the commuters were reading, and they were reading the same paper: the new daily Metro.
Since then, Metro has expanded into 20 countries, and is the leading daily in many cities. It has also inspired copycats, notably Norwegian Schipstedt, who launched the competitor "20 Minutes" in several European countries.
Last year, in December, 20 Minutos became the largest newspaper in Spain, with 2,3 million readers, with Metro close behind. All together, the free Spanish papers Metro, 20 Minutos and Que (plus several smaller, local free papers) soon will have more readers than the old, paid-for traditional dailies. This month a fourth national free paper will be launced, Pagina Cero, adding one million copies daily.
If you're interested in the free papers, you should check out this Dutch website, where professor Piet Bakker and the staff and students of the University of Amsterdam's School of Communications share their research and publish up-to-date reports and newsletters.