An icon of Belgian public transport turns the last page.
The free Metro newspaper, once the daily reading material for commuters on trains and trams, will cease to exist. The Rossel Group, owner of the daily newspaper and also publisher of renowned newspapers such as Le Soir, announced this gloomy news. According to Rossel, the newspaper, which largely focused on the 'Young Active Urbans', has become financially unsustainable.
Since the departure of co-shareholder Mediahuis at the end of 2020, Rossel has been the sole skipper at the helm of this media phenomenon that once had a daily circulation of 788.000 and generated more than 1,4 million visits weekly on its websites Metrotime.be and Zita.be.
“Metro's economic model has suffered irreparable damage due to the continued phases of lockdowns and the large-scale transition to working from home,” the Rossel group explains. “Our distribution relied heavily on public transportation, college campuses and companies that made our newspaper available.”
The role of Metro as a free newspaper in the Belgian media landscape should not be underestimated. It was often the first contact with news for young and active city dwellers, the so-called 'Young Active Urbans', who wanted to quickly scan the headlines between their daily worries. The shift to digital news consumption and the decline in commuting, combined with the impact of the pandemic, has meant that the classic model of a free newspaper on public transport has passed its shelf life.
Although the paper version of Metro is disappearing, the brand will not completely cease to exist. Rossel, which is mainly active in French-speaking Belgium, confirmed in a press release that Metro will continue to function online until January 15, 2024. But the loss of the physical newspaper symbolizes a definitive end to an era when commuters read news together, solved puzzles and watched cartoons. watched as they were taken to their destination.
