TC Media’s free Métro newspaper will be distributed in the Montreal metro system for the next five years as the result of a new deal between TC Media and Société de transport de Montréal (STM).
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Philippe Schnobb, president of the STM board of directors, said in release that TC Media’s bid was the “more advantageous” of two submitted.
He said the deal would generate “significant revenues” for the STM, while enabling the organization to maintain “privileged communications” with customers through a daily page of content in Métro.
The deal will see the free Montreal daily, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, made available in 320 stands in the Montreal metro system, as well as up to 1,000 locations throughout the city covering food courts, 95 McDonald’s restaurants and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
The deal was brokered through the Société en commandite collectif media, a subsidiary of Transgesco – the body charged with marketing STM’s assets to increase non-fare revenues.
Métro previously had an exclusive distribution deal with the STM from its March 2001 launch through December 2010.
Last year, Postmedia signed an exclusive deal with Gateway Newsstands that made it the exclusive distributor of 24hrs Toronto at more than 90 Toronto Transit Commission and Go Transit stations in the GTA. Gateway had previously distributed the Toronto edition of Metro since its 2000 inception.
