Metro debuts in Asia with Chinese title in HK

HONG KONG: International newspaper publisher, Metro International, is launching a new Chinese-language newspaper to be distributed free at MTR stations and other high-traffic commuter zones.

by | 04/05/2002

According to Lawson Muncaster, global vice-president of advertising sales, the title will roll out in mid-April, with a daily circulation of 250,000, which would instantly make it Hong Kong's third-largest newspaper.

"We want to deliver news to an upmarket urban population and be the first person to get into people's minds in the morning,

he said.

However, Metro's newspaper model is different from most dailies - it shies away from political and religious news. Media agency directors agreed the model has potential in Hong Kong because people are not very interested in politics or religion anyway.

Said K.K. Tsang, MindShare Hong Kong managing director: "Metro's success will depend very much on the quality of its editorial content and it should be noted that the biggest Chinese newspapers here focus on one thing: entertainment news."

Metro is targeted at busy urban professionals, aged between 16 and 45.

It has 22 editions in 14 markets. Hong Kong is the first Asian market it has entered.