Antena 3 ends 'El Rosco' segment in 'Pasapalabra' after court ruling. The final round 'El Rosco' will disappear from Antena 3’s broadcast. The court has recognized format rights in favor of a Dutch company. Starting Friday, 'Pasapalabra' will feature a new ending.
The final round 'El Rosco' in the popular Spanish TV game 'Pasapalabra' will air for the last time this Thursday. Antena 3 is forced to remove the iconic segment after Spain's Supreme Court ordered the channel to stop using the format, ruling in favor of the Dutch company MC&F, which owns the rights. Starting Friday, viewers will see a new finale for the show, though details have not yet been disclosed.
The court decision is the result of a years-long dispute over intellectual property rights. The Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court confirmed that 'El Rosco' is a copyright-protected creation by MC&F, and rejected appeals from Atresmedia, British ITV Studios, and MC&F itself, upholding the verdict of the Barcelona Court of Appeal from 2022. As a result, Antena 3 is required not only to cease broadcasting any games based on this format, but also to destroy all recordings and materials related to 'El Rosco.'
Despite the legal proceedings, Antena 3 continued to produce 'Pasapalabra' in its usual form until it officially received notice of the required changes. Only at the beginning of the week did the channel confirm that the final round will be replaced by a new challenge starting Friday, and that the last episode featuring 'El Rosco' will air on Thursday. Host Roberto Leal will oversee this round for the final time, marking a notable event for fans of the show.
The last major win on 'Pasapalabra' was recorded in February, when Rosa from La Coruña received a record €2.716 million. The show then drew over 3.7 million viewers and captured a 36.8% audience share. Now, the familiar format, which had remained unchanged for 26 years, is becoming a thing of the past. After the Supreme Court's decision in May, it became known that Mediaset acquired rights to 'El Rosco' and is developing a new project based on it, which will air on a different platform. As a result, 'Pasapalabra' and 'El Rosco' will become separate programs on different channels.
The legal disputes surrounding 'El Rosco' began back in 2019, when the Supreme Court ruled that Telecinco had violated ITV Studios' rights to the 'Pasapalabra' format and name, ordering the channel to stop broadcasting and pay over €45 million in damages. After that, ITV transferred the rights to Atresmedia, but MC&F filed a separate lawsuit, seeking recognition of its rights to the final round. Ultimately, the court sided with the Dutch company.
The situation with 'Pasapalabra' is reminiscent of other high-profile legal battles in Spanish media, where rights to popular formats have been the subject of lengthy disputes. For example, recently in Barcelona, the defense of Jonatan Andic challenged measures regarding the death of the Mango founder, also drawing attention to issues of intellectual property and legal rulings in the industry (more on legal disputes in business).
For reference: “Pasapalabra” first aired in 2000 and quickly became one of the most popular quiz shows on Spanish television. The “El Rosco” format involved contestants answering questions alphabetically, which ensured high audience engagement. Now, following the court ruling, Antena 3 is forced to completely change the structure of the final, and the fate of the “El Rosco” format will be decided on another platform.
