The Spanish quiz show "Cifras y Letras" returns to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE's channel La 2 on Wednesday, September 9, bringing back a jackpot of 251,500 euros that has built up over previous episodes.
The accumulated prize sits just 1,000 euros short of the all-time record set by contestant José Antonio Montalbán during a recent run of the format.
Familiar hosting team returns
Journalist Aitor Albizua will continue presenting the program, joined at the analysts' table by mathematics broadcaster David Calle and linguist Elena Herráiz. "Cifras y Letras" is Spain's long-running adaptation of the numbers-and-letters format that also inspired the British show "Countdown," testing contestants on word and number puzzles.
RTVE's schedule calls for the program to air from Monday to Friday at 22:00, its usual slot. As a new addition, the channel will also broadcast a repeat episode beforehand at 21:30, alongside a double new episode on the day of its relaunch.
Most watched show on La 2 over summer
The program heads into the new season after finishing the summer as the most watched offering on Spain's second state channel. In August it drew an average audience of 518,000 viewers and a 5.8% audience share.
Those figures extend a strong run from the season that closed in June, when the format hit its audience peak with 711,000 viewers on average and a 60% loyalty rate in the slot leading into prime time.
Backed by the Royal Spanish Academy
The program's lexical content is overseen by the Real Academia Española, the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. "Cifras y Letras" has also picked up a second consecutive ALMA award for best game show script, presented by the Spanish screenwriters' union, the Sindicato de Guionistas de España.
With that combination of critical recognition and audience numbers, RTVE is aiming to keep the show as one of the most stable fixtures of its lineup heading into the new television season.
