“A la Z” is the new final test of “Pasapalabra”. The Antena 3 contest has been renewed after the decision taken by the Supreme Court last May, which forced the network to cease broadcasting “El Rosco”, and has been presented to viewers with a new final dynamic with which it hopes to maintain the loyalty of the audience and maintain its position as the most watched contest on television in our country.

The new game is based on “DallAZetA”, a format broadcast between 2022 and 2024 on RSI, the public television of Italian Switzerland. The test has been adapted and incorporated into the rest of the dynamics that make up the popular contest hosted by Roberto Leal, in such a way that since Friday, June 19, the contestants of “Pasapalabra” face a new challenge, just as the Atresmedia network has been promoting in recent days, seeking to attract the public to the premiere of “A la Z”.

The test is similar in essence to “El Rosco”, but differs from it in some points. The dynamic of responding to words to the definitions read by the presenter and that begin or include one of the letters of the alphabet is maintained. However, instead of the previous circle that gave its name to the challenge, the letters are now arranged in an orderly line at the bottom of the screen.

The contestant who has obtained the most points by completing the previous tests chooses whether he wants to complete the row from A to Z or from Z to A, leaving the list to his opponent. Other novelties are found in the information that the contestants receive regarding the riddles. Unlike “El Rosco”, which was approached blindly, each definition now includes lines that indicate the number of letters the word has, as well as a brief summary of the definition, unlike what happened before.

On the other hand, there are also differences with respect to the previous final test in the clues that contestants can request. Players can ask for a letter, which is added to the solution, in exchange for five seconds of their time. In addition, the contestants have more time to play: if for El Rosco 85 additional seconds were granted to those achieved during the program, now 110 are offered.
Players continue to use the expression “Pasapalabra” when they cannot find a solution and want to skip the turn.

The change has not only been perceived in the final dynamics of the contest, but also in its aesthetics. The introduction of the program, previously based on circles that alluded to “El Rosco”, is now limited to a whirlwind of letters in white and orange, on a blue background, until forming the name of the contest.

“A la Z” is the test that now replaces “El Rosco”. The Supreme Court established at the end of May that Antena 3 could not continue offering the test by confirming that the property rights of the final test of the program belong to the Dutch company MC&F. It thus dismissed Atresmedia’s appeal and ratified the resolution issued in 2022 by the Provincial Court of Barcelona.

Both resolutions consider that “El Rosco” is an original creation of its authors, Roto Luigi Pianta and René Mauricio Loeb, protected by the Intellectual Property Law, whose rights correspond to MC&F. “Pasapalabra”, on the other hand, is an original British format, called “The Alphabet Game”, whose broadcasts began in the mid-nineties and whose international rights are currently held by the British network ITV, with Atresmedia being a franchisee.

The last donut was broadcast last Thursday, June 18, in a program in which no allusions were made to the situation, and viewers were only invited to discover the new evidence; something that Antena 3 wanted to keep secret to awaken the interest and curiosity of the audience.

The strategy has had an effect, since the premiere of “A la Z” has allowed “Pasapalabra” to record its best result in the last four months. The program on Friday, June 19, achieved 1.6 million viewers on average, and 2.7 million unique viewers, registering a 21.9% screen share.

The figure is above the last broadcast of “El Rosco”; the previous day, which achieved 1,473,000 viewers and an 18.4% share; as well as the broadcasts of “Pasapalabra” the two previous Fridays. On June 12, the contest reached 1,253,000 viewers and 18.1% of the screen share; while on June 5 it reached 1,396,000 viewers and 19.3% share.

Specifically, “A la Z” exceeded 2.4 million unique viewers, according to Atresmedia data; and reached a 26.1% screen share; a figure that shot up to 28.3% towards the outcome. What’s more, according to data from Barlovento, the golden minute of June 19 was recorded at 9:02 p.m. during the broadcast on Antena 3 of “Pasapalabra”, gathering 2,292,000 viewers.
It remains to be seen if the success of the new test is capable of sustaining the passage of time and the interest of the public beyond its premiere.