1.5 Million Metro Readers: Definitely News Worth Sharing!

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 29, 2012) - Sharing quality news for free, at the right time, in the right place, and in the right format continues to be the recipe for success at Metro, which grew in all 7 markets in which it was measured, according to results released today by the Newspaper Audience Databank (NADbank).

Metro Canada now reaches 1,492,700 daily and 3,388,900 weekly readers coast-to-coast in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. In comparison to NADbank 2010 results, this represents an increase of 129,700 readers, or +10%, daily and 372,100, or 11%, weekly readers. These latest results show that Metro Canada continues to reach more adults 18+ than the Globe and Mail and National Post combined.*

"The NADbank results confirm Metro's leadership as the daily newspaper of choice for YAMs (youthful, active, metropolitans)"; says Bill McDonald, President & Publisher of Metro English Canada. "And with the launch of two new editions in Saskatoon and Regina, a year under our belts in Winnipeg and London, our increasing local news force in each market, an expanding distribution network, and a multi-million dollar ad campaign set to launch coast-to-coast, we anticipate our national reach will continue to grow well into the future."

Highlights from Metro Canada's 2011 readership results compared to 2010 include:

• Double digit growth in 4 Metro markets
  • Halifax grew a whopping 40% year-over-year! Now more than 1 in 5 Haligonians reads Metro every day and 1 in 2 read it every week.
  • Edmonton grew 31%, adding more daily readers than any other paper in the market.
  • Vancouver grew 27%, with more new readers than all the other dailies combined.
  • Ottawa grew 13%, adding more daily readers than any other paper in the market.
• Toronto held on to its position as the #2 daily in the market, second only to The Toronto Star.
• Calgary picked up more weekly readers than any other paper.

SOURCE: NADbank 2011, NADbank 2010; Halifax EMA, Montreal CMA, Ottawa-Gatineau CMA, Toronto EMA, Calgary CMA, Edmonton CMA, Vancouver CMA; weekly refers to 5-day CUME, daily refers to "read yesterday" ; *National Post and Globe and Mail combined weekday reach is 975,900, 7-market summary.

About Metro

Metro is Canada's most-read national daily newspaper. Metro editions are published by Free Daily News Group Inc. in Ottawa, Toronto, London, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, and by Atlantic Free Daily Newspapers Inc. in Halifax. Metro is also published in Montreal by Les Publications Métropolitaines Inc. Metro targets YAMs (youthful, active metropolitans) and reaches more than 1.5 million readers daily and 3.4 million over the course of a week.

Torstar Corporation is the majority owner of Free Daily News Group Inc. with Metro International S.A. holding a small minority interest. Metro International S.A. also holds an interest in Les Publications Métropolitaines Inc and publishes newspapers in more than 100 major cities in 20 countries across Europe, North and South America and Asia. Metro has a unique global reach, attracting a youthful, active, well-educated, metropolitan audience of over 17 million daily readers.