MUMBAI: US infotainment and lifestyle media company Discovery has announced that TLC and Own: Oprah Winfrey Network have acquired the rights to ?Undercover Boss UK? and ?Undercover Boss Australia?, airing on the networks as Undercover Boss: Abroad.

The show kicks off on TLC in the US on 13 February. Own will add the series to its schedule beginning 13 March.

?Undercover Boss: Abroad?, distributed in the US by CBS Television Distribution, has the same format as the American version, following high-level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the rank and file of their own companies.

Each week, a different executive will leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their corporation. While working alongside their employees, they will learn about themselves, the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organisation, the perception of their company, and discover the unsung heroes of their work force.

Many of the companies featured in Undercover Boss: Abroad are worldwide brands, including YMCA, Domino?s Pizza, Sodexo, Best Western Hotels and Isuzu Trucks. The series will also explore brands and businesses unique to their own countries.

CBS senior VP of corporate licensing and distribution Scott Koondel said, "The original American version of UNDERCOVER BOSS was an instant hit on CBS and has turned into a powerful franchise for the off-network marketplace with numerous international editions to extend the brand".

Additionally, ?Undercover Boss Canada? joins the networks? schedules later in the year.