NEWSPAPER METRO TO BE LAUNCHED IN HELSINKI The international expansion of Metro continues. The go ahead was given today for the publication of a Finnish language version in Helsinki The Helsinki board of public transportation today approved that its public transport agency sign an agreement with Tidnings AB Metro. The agreement with the Helsinki traffic council will be for five years. Publication start date has not yet been decided. Metro first started publication in Stockholm in1995. Two years later came the first establishment abroad, in Prague. Last year Budapest was added while publication in Sweden was complemented with Gothenburg. It is already fixed that in 1999 Metro will also start up in Holland, where publication has been postponed to the autumn on the initiative of Metro International, because the advertising market is traditionally weak during the summer months. Metro Helsinki will be included in the Publishing business area of the Modern Times Group MTG AB. "The decision of the public transport board consolidates Metro´s position as the leading daily newspaper in the Nordic countries and shows the strength of the concept. It functions in all major world cities that have well-developed public transport systems", says HC Ejemyr, president of the Publishing business area of MTG. Publishing today consists of Metro Stockholm, Metro Gothenburg and Finanstidningen. Metro in Prague, Budapest and Holland are part of the Metro International business area that was formed on 1 January 1999. The Helsinki decision means that Janton Oy, which currently distributes the Uutislehti 100 free newspaper, will leave the buses, trams, underground and commuter trains in Helsinki. 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/2004/01/07/20040107BIT00220/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/01/07/20040107BIT00220/wkr0002.pdf