Fremantle Signs Up More Apprentices

How do you say, "You're fired," in Croatian?*

Realty format powerhouse Fremantlemedia said it has locked up new deals for reality show The Apprentice in South Africa, Indonesia, Slovenia, Croatia, Israel and Belgium.

That brings the total number of Apprentice sales to 16 territories, including the U.S., where the the show became a hit for NBC and an image boost for New York developer Donald Trump.

Germany was the first country outside the U.S. to launch the format (October 2004), followed by Greece, Brazil, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and the UK. Switzerland will debut its version later this month, while Sweden and a pan-Arab version are scheduled for launches later this year.

*Odpuŝteni ste!, according to the Croatian Embassy.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.