In Slovakia two new publishers have joined Piano Media's national paywall. One publisher that already collaborates with Piano has also agreed to put Slovakia's largest regional publication behind the wall. This mean that, in total, 12 Slovakian publishers and over 50 websites are now taking part in Piano's Slovakian single-payment system.

The publisher Petit Press, which already works with Piano, is adding Korzar, a daily paper covering Eastern Slovakia, to Piano's paywall. Piano's Chief Executive Tomáš Bella is quoted in the official press release about the expansion, saying: "we couldn't be happier that Petit Press agreed to include Korzar's daily paper into our offer. They have really great coverage of eastern Slovakia and that fills a big need for our readers who don't live in Bratislava."

Publisher The Rock is adding the English-language weekly the Slovak Spectator to the paywall. Paying users will gain access to the latest PDF edition of the paper and to the Slovak Spectator's archives.

French free dailies Metro and 20 Minutes will be expanding their distribution coverage in France, with new editions to be published beginning Monday, Newspaper Innovation reported yesterday.

Metro will be launching new editions in Metz, Nancy and Toulon, thereby expanding its reach in the country from nine to 12 editions, while 20 Minutes will launch an edition for Montpellier. Metro's new editions make it the country's only free daily available in these cities, with a distribution of more than 20,000 copies each day, according to a statement by the newspaper, Agence France Presse reported. The launch of Toulon edition is expected to further strengthen the newspaper's position in the south, after the successful launch of its Marseille edition in 2002.

Image of Metro: TarifMedia.com

Through these new editions, Metro boosted its presence further in France, now covering 15 cities.

Defying earlier denials, media conglomerate Canwest is preparing to liquidate its newspaper assets, even as it expands its television presence. Within a month it will be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Through a partnership with U.S.-based Scripps Interactive, Canwest on Monday launches Do-It-Yourself Network, featuring shows such as Sweat Equity and Kitchen Impossible, the company announced today. Meanwhile, as part of its bankruptcy process, Canwest is bringing its newspaper holdings back into the fold in order to shield those assets from creditors as well, CBC News reported following Canwest's announcement.