Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) has agreed to relinquish its exclusive rights on the London Underground, clearing the way for a new afternoon or evening newspaper to be distributed to London commuters.
The decision will be welcomed by publishers who have been waiting for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to make a decision over ANL’s monopoly on the underground since 2003.
The move will please Express Newspapers owner, Richard Desmond, who reportedly registered the name London i as the title for his planned free-sheet newspaper which will compete with the Evening Standard and the Metro in the capital (see OFT Clears Way For New London Afternoon Paper).
Associated’s exclusive rights will stop by April 12, allowing London Underground and Network Rail to re-tendering their respective afternoon and evening distribution slots.
Commenting on the decision, Vincent Smith, director of competition enforcement for the OFT, said: “We welcome the commitments given by ANL, This opens up the market for competitors potentially to provide London commuters with additional afternoon of evening newspapers.”
The OFT had concerns that excluding rivals’ newspapers from stations 24 hours a day, despite the fact that Metro is only distributed in the morning, went beyond what could be objectively justified.
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