Origins and London launch The
Metro free newspaper concept originated in Sweden, where a publication of the same name was launched in 1995 by
Metro International. British newspaper executives Jonathan Harmsworth and Murdoch MacLennan, from
DMGT, were reportedly inspired by the idea and flew to Stockholm on a 'fact-finding mission' to develop their version. There were also reports in the late 1990s that both Metro International and
Rupert Murdoch's
News International were considering launching free newspapers in the UK that might prove a commercial threat to DMGT's businesses. DMGT subsequently launched
Metro, using the same name as Metro International's publications but with a different logo, on Tuesday 16 March 1999. This UK version of
Metro had no relation to Metro International or its sister newspapers in other countries.
Metro was launched initially as a London-only newspaper with an original print run of 85,000 copies, which were distributed via dedicated bins in London Underground stations.
Metros circulation continued to rise in the following years, though readership temporarily dipped after the
7 July 2005 London bombings. There was a 1.8% decline – the equivalent of around 9,000 readers – in copies picked up in the weeks following the attacks due to a reduction in the number of people using London's public transport network, coupled with the temporary closure of some
London Underground lines where
Metro was distributed. Following several years of expansion, in 2006 the newspaper's production was moved to DMGT's main newspaper offices at
Northcliffe House in Kensington, west London. Despite the increase in readership, that same year, management also closed five regional
Metro offices in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, and Bristol, which were responsible for producing regionalised arts, entertainment, and food pages, citing "challenging economic conditions". By 2011,
Metros distribution network had expanded to more than 50 cities in the UK. In that year media commentator
Roy Greenslade said the publication was now making "bumper profits" and – mistakenly, as it is not national – dubbed it "Britain's most successful national newspaper".
Launch of Irish edition Metro Ireland was launched in Dublin on 10 October 2005. It followed a legal battle over the title's name with the publishers of the
Irish Independent and Dublin's
Evening Herald, which launched its free newspaper called
Herald AM. Both titles were loss-making, despite having a combined circulation of 145,000 in the
Greater Dublin Area. On 2 July 2009, it was announced that the two freesheets would merge under the
Metro banner, an operation completed by 2010. However, the Irish edition was closed down in December 2014.
London 2012 Olympic Games For the first time in its history,
Metro temporarily published seven days a week during the
2012 Summer Olympics and the
2012 Summer Paralympics, providing free copies to spectators at the Games as well as the general public. The newspaper struck a reported £2.25 million deal with sportswear manufacturer
Adidas to run cover wrap adverts on each of the 17 days of the Olympics.
Rising circulation After more than a decade in charge, editor Kenny Campbell was replaced as editor by
Ted Young in 2014. Young's appointment coincided with several changes at the newspaper, including the separation of the print and online editions, along with an expansion of
Metros distribution in the UK. In November 2016, comedian
Richard Herring stepped down from writing his weekly column for
Metro. Fellow TV comedian
Dom Joly later replaced him in the slot. In 2017,
Metro became the most-read newspaper in the UK, according to monthly
National Readership Survey figures. In March 2018,
Metro officially overtook
The Sun in total print circulation, according to ABC (
Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK)) figures. In late 2025, Metro announced that staff were at a high risk of redundancy amid declining website traffic. ==Content==