Antena 3 to debut new 'Pasapalabra' final test this Friday after court orders 'El Rosco' removal
The Spanish broadcaster will air the last episode with the iconic 'El Rosco' on Thursday and premiere an unspecified replacement on 19 June, complying with a Supreme Court ruling that handed the rights to Dutch firm MC&F.
The legal split
The Supreme Court confirmed in May that ownership of the final test's intellectual property belongs to the Dutch production company MC&F Broadcasting Production and Distribution C.V., not to ITV Studios which produces the full 'Pasapalabra' format for Antena 3. The ruling upheld a Barcelona Provincial Court decision that described 'El Rosco' as "an original creation of its authors Roto Luigi Pianta and René Mauricio Loeb, protected by intellectual property law, whose rights belong to MC&F". Antena 3 was ordered to stop broadcasting the test immediately.
Immediate response
Within hours of the ruling, Mediaset confirmed that it had acquired the Spanish broadcasting rights to 'El Rosco' and was already developing a new programme to host the circular quiz round. That means 'Pasapalabra' and its most famous element will soon air on two rival channels: Antena 3 keeps the main show without the Rosco, while Telecinco gets the Rosco but without the 'Pasapalabra' brand. The presenter Roberto Leal, who hosts the Antena 3 version, insisted the programme would survive.
Pasapalabra is much more than El Rosco. Pasapalabra will continue on Antena 3, where I am.
Countdown to the new test
Antena 3 moved quickly to avoid a production halt. By Monday, 15 June, it had announced through a promo that the final episode containing the original 'El Rosco' would air on Thursday, 18 June, and that a brand-new final test would premiere the following day, Friday, 19 June, at 20.00 hours. No details about the format or mechanics of the replacement have been revealed, beyond the network's pledge that it will match the tension and appeal of the legendary Rosco.
- Supreme Court rules Antena 3 must stop broadcasting 'El Rosco'
- Last 'Pasapalabra' episode with the original 'El Rosco' airs
- New final test premieres on Antena 3
A television event
'Pasapalabra' has become a daily ratings phenomenon in Spain, pulling audiences of several million and uniting different generations around the screen. The most recent 'El Rosco' winner, Rosa Rodríguez, secured the show's largest jackpot in February before 3.7 million viewers on Antena 3. The removal of the defining round after 26 years marks a turning point for the franchise, which now faces the challenge of converting an unknown replacement into the same appointment-viewing event.
What comes next
Mediaset has not yet set a launch date for its standalone 'El Rosco' programme, but the company has confirmed that work is underway. For Antena 3, the focus is on retaining the audience with a final test that does not infringe MC&F's intellectual property. The network has described the Friday premiere as a major broadcasting event, signalling that the show will go on despite the legal earthquake that has reshaped Spain's most-watched quiz competition.
