NEWSPAPER METRO LAUNCHED IN THE MALMO CITY AND SKANE PROVINCE AREA A comprehensive form of collaboration between the newspaper Metro, Arbetet Nyheterna news service and Skånetrafiken local traffic administration was announced at a joint press conference in Malmö at 16.00 hours today. This collaboration confirms the ongoing expansion of Metro. It is now definite that Metro is to be published in Malmö City and Skåne province generally. This form of collaboration also creates favorable opportunities for the development of Arbetet Nyheterna in the region. The collaboration with Arbetet Nyheterna means that Metro's editorial staff will rent premises from Arbetet Nyheterna. Metro Skåne will largely contain the same content as the Stockholm edition but with several pages of Skåne materials so as to give the newspaper a southern Sweden profile. The collaboration also means that Metro's Skåne edition will be printed at Arbetet Nyheterna. A joint advertising package will also be created. Advertisers are being offered a big city package including Metro in Stockholm and Gothenburg, as well as Metro and Arbetet Nyheterna in Malmö. A regional advertising package is also being created in Skåne comprising Metro and Arbetet Nyheterna. Distribution of Metro in Malmö and Skåne generally is regulated by an agreement with Skånetrafiken local traffic administration. "We believe that this is good and interesting for our travelers," comments Gösta Alhberg, president of Skånetrafiken. "They can relax and read Metro when they travel with us and they cannot do that when driving their cars." Metro started publication in Stockholm than four years ago. Last year publication also started in Gothenburg. "We are highly satisfied with the agreement, " says Per Bergknut, president of Arbetet Nyheterna. "MTG's broad and visionary media competence is good for Arbetet Nyheterna." "The agreement is important to our potential to develop our journalistic ambition and our company." "The advertising package, which is open to additional companies, is a strong concept. At the same time we are pleased that our premises and our printing works will be utilized." Publication start of Metro in Skåne is planned for September. The printed edition will initially be 60,000. Internationally, Metro is also published in Prague and Budapest. In the autumn of 1999 publication will also start in the Netherlands and in Helsinki. "The Skåne edition will make Metro complete on the Swedish major city market and thus provide a viable option for brand name advertisers," says HC Ejemyr, president of the Publishing business area of Modern Times Group MTG AB. For further information, please visit www.mtg.se, or email info@mtg.se or contact: Hans-Holger Albrecht, President & CEO tel: +46 8 562 000 50 Matthew Hooper, Investor & Press Relations tel: +44 20 7321 5010 Modern Times Group MTG AB has seven business areas: Viasat Broadcasting (free-to-air and pay TV channels in nine countries), Radio (seven networks in five countries), New Media (the Everyday interactive TV portal, Internet portal, Mobile portal, and teletext services), Publishing (financial news and information services), Modern Interactive (home shopping, e-commerce, and logistics), SDI Media (subtitling and dubbing services), and Modern Studios (content production and library). Modern Times Group MTG AB's class A and B shares are listed on the Stockholmsbörsen O-list (symbols: MTGA and MTGB) and on the Nasdaq National Market in New York (symbol: MTGNY). MODERN TIMES GROUP MTG AB Skeppsbron 18, Box 2094, SE-103 13 Stockholm, Sweden Tel. +46 8 562 000 50 Fax. +46 8 20 50 74 (Publ) Registration No. 556309- 9158 www.mtg.se ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/01/07/20040107BIT00560/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/01/07/20040107BIT00560/wkr0002.pdf