Railtrack's media agents Maiden Outdoor, has invited 15 to 20
publishing organisations to pitch for the exclusive free London
newspaper contract which is in the hands of Metro until spring 2002.
The news comes as speculation mounts that News International is planning
to launch a rival free sheet to Associated's Metro, which will continue
to hold the distribution contract with London Underground through Viacom
Outdoor.
Maiden's managing director David Pugh said: "A PLC such as Railtrack
will want to test the market whenever an existing contract comes to an
end. Metro may renew the contract, but I'm happy for somebody else to
use the concourse space too, possibly a magazine. Railtrack need to make
sure that they're getting the best value from their concourses."
Maiden manages the advertising rights across Railtrack's entire network
of stations in the UK.
As well as the London version, Metro produces a daily publication in
Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. These contracts will be reviewed in
due course.
According to Maiden, the London network of stations delivers an audience
of around eight million every week.
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