Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Jennifer Fishbein of Businessweek notes that that Metro -- the first among aggressively distributed free dailies -- is struggling against competitors in several countries:

''When the first issue of Metro hit the streets of Stockholm in February, 1995, many media-watchers scoffed at the concept of a free daily newspaper aimed at time-strapped urban commuters. But since then Metro has spread to more than 100 cities worldwide and has bred scores of imitators.

''Now it appears that some of those imitators are beating Metro at its own game. On Oct. 22, Luxembourg-listed parent company Metro International reported losses of $32.7 million on sales of $314 million during the first nine months of 2007.''

(image via newspaperinnovation)