ABSTRACT
Free newspapers are here to stay; in the last few years more than 40 new titles have been launched and more than 30 have survived. It has been proved that it is possible to make a profit and even to publish more than one newspaper in a metropolitan area. The Netherlands was not the first country where these phenomena took place. One of the papers published in the Netherlands, Metro, was originally founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1995. Economic questions concerning readership, business models for new and existing firms, competition, circulation, entry barriers, advertising and marketing; and legal questions on unfair competition, cartels, the right to carry the 'Metro' title, unfair treatment by authorities and public transport systems. First are the non-local or foreign firms entering a new market. This is the Metro and 20 Minutes model of Metro International and Schibsted. This is the invasion model. Publishers are entering the market for profits.
