Atresmedia and ITV are preparing to sue Mediaset, claiming its new show Rueda la letra copies Pasapalabra. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over game show formats in Spain.
Mediaset’s launch of Rueda la letra has sparked a legal threat from Atresmedia and ITV, who accuse the new Telecinco game show of copying key elements from Pasapalabra. Lawyers for Pasapalabra are preparing to take Mediaset to court, escalating a rivalry marked by ongoing disputes over format rights and show structure. Spanish media report that Atresmedia and ITV Studios are working on legal action, though no lawsuit has been officially filed yet.
The controversy began almost immediately after Rueda la letra’s debut. Viewers and journalists quickly pointed out its similarities to Pasapalabra. The show, hosted by Carlos Sobera and produced by Bulldog TV, drew more attention for its familiar set and format than for its ratings—just a 9.1% share and 624,000 viewers, according to Infobae. The set design, camera work, and even the presence of former Pasapalabra contestants Fran and Lilit stood out. Both contestants, along with celebrity guests, compete in a format that closely follows its rival, including split-screen shots, musical challenges with buzzers, and a color scheme nearly identical to Pasapalabra’s. Outlets like El País and El Mundo note that the dispute isn’t just about the final round, but about the show’s overall look, mechanics, and visual cues.
"The first episode of Rueda la letra attracted only 624,000 viewers and a 9.1% audience share, significantly lower than Pasapalabra in the same time slot."
Infobae
The main point of contention is El rosco, the well-known final round in Spanish game shows. Mediaset owns the rights to El rosco—originally created in 1998 as 21x100 by Reto Luigi Pianta and René Mauricio Loeb, later sold to the Dutch company MC&F—while Atresmedia holds the Pasapalabra brand, which is based on ITV’s The Alphabet Game from 1996. This legal split means Rueda la letra can use El rosco, but not the name, after a court ruling earlier this year barred Antena 3 from including the round in its broadcasts, even as it kept the brand. El Mundo reports that in May 2026, Spain’s Supreme Court confirmed MC&F’s intellectual property rights to El rosco, preventing ITV from licensing this part of the format to Atresmedia without MC&F’s approval.
Carlos Sobera’s introduction of “the most famous test on television: El rosco, which is now La rueda” did little to ease tensions. Instead, it gave Atresmedia and ITV more reason to accuse Mediaset of trying to benefit from Pasapalabra’s established format and loyal audience. The legal wrangling goes both ways: last July, Mediaset announced plans to sue Atresmedia over AlaZ, the new final round in Pasapalabra, claiming it was too similar to El rosco. That lawsuit has not moved forward, so for now, the legal initiative is with Atresmedia and ITV. As El País points out, the situation is complicated by ITV holding the Pasapalabra brand rights, while Mediaset can use similar mechanics but not the name.
Legal battles over TV formats are common in Spain. As reported earlier, disputes over show ownership and format rights often lead to lengthy court cases and shifting alliances among broadcasters and production companies.
"In 2019, the Supreme Court of Spain confirmed ITV’s rights to the Pasapalabra brand, forcing Telecinco to remove the show from its schedule. The format later returned to Antena 3 in 2020 after ITV licensed it to Atresmedia, illustrating the ongoing volatility and legal maneuvering in the Spanish TV market."
El Mundo
This latest dispute stands out for how quickly the alleged copying was noticed. Rueda la letra’s debut drew immediate skepticism from both legal teams and viewers, who recognized the recycled elements right away. Mediaset’s earlier threats to sue Atresmedia remain unresolved, adding to the sense of back-and-forth legal tactics as both sides try to protect their interests in a competitive market. Spanish media report that Mediaset scheduled Rueda la letra at 19:00 as part of a broader push to win back evening viewers, with plans to expand its game show lineup with formats like ¡Allá tú!.
The episode highlights how fragile format innovation has become in Spanish television. The line between homage and imitation is often blurred by legal loopholes and aggressive rights management. Both Atresmedia and Mediaset seem more willing to fight in court than to invest in new ideas. Until a clear legal decision is reached, viewers are likely to see more recycled formats and fewer original concepts on Spain’s prime-time TV.
