Free paper now No. 1 in Spain

The Madrid-based, 2.3-million-circulation free daily "20 Minutos" has become Spain's largest general circulation newspaper -- quite a feat for a newspaper that began in the publisher's basement six years ago. In her story, Doreen Carvajal of the International Herald Tribune provides some interesting information on the growth of free dailies in Europe:

Traditional paid circulation papers have jumped into the free market in a big way, and now their papers represent half of free paper circulation in Europe.

Half the papers distributed in Spain are free; In Iceland, free papers have 72 percent of the market.

Free dailies have seen a dramatic rise in Europe, with their circulation hitting 23 million last year, up 33% from the year before.