The breakout Canadian sports romance Heated Rivalry has become such a major success for HBO Max in the United States that the streaming service is reportedly making a significant financial commitment to keep it. According to recent reports, HBO Max is spending approximately $600,000 per episode to secure the U.S. streaming rights for the show. This investment highlights the show’s rapid rise from a niche Canadian production to a global streaming phenomenon that debuted in late November 2025.
The series, which follows the secret romance between rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, quickly broke records. It became the top-rated non-animated acquired series on HBO Max since the platform’s launch and landed in the top five scripted debuts on the service for the year. Its popularity was so immediate that the show’s second season was confirmed on December 12, 2025, just weeks after its premiere.
The Unlikely Path to a Streaming Hit
Heated Rivalry was not originally destined for a major U.S. streaming platform. The show is a Crave original series produced in Canada and was initially planned for a 2026 release on its home service. Executives at Bell Media, which owns Crave, were so impressed with the final product that they moved the premiere up multiple times, finally launching it on November 28, 2025, to capture holiday viewers.
This accelerated schedule meant the international distribution team had a tight window to sell the show globally. HBO Max’s content chairman, Casey Bloys, was sent the episodes by a team member and made a quick decision to acquire it for the U.S. market. Bloys, who is a gay man, noted he had a sense the show “might make some waves” and was surprised it was even available for acquisition.
“He sent the episodes to me on a Friday, and then on Monday we started negotiating,” Bloys recalls. “It was an easy and very quick ‘yes.’”
The deal was structured as a straight acquisition of U.S. rights, meaning HBO Max did not co-finance the first season’s production and has no creative input on the upcoming second season. This arrangement is why the substantial per-episode fee is being paid to license the content.
Breaking Records and Building a Cultural Moment
The financial commitment from HBO Max is backed by extraordinary viewer response. The show did not just perform well; it set new records. It became Crave’s most-watched original series ever in Canada. In the U.S., its performance exceeded all expectations for an acquired title.
Critics and audiences have praised the show for its authentic portrayal of a gay romantic and sexual relationship, a representation that still feels rare in mainstream television. The series has been described as “the year’s biggest TV surprise” and “the unexpected TV conversation of the moment”. Its blend of explicit intimacy and emotional storytelling has resonated widely, attracting a large female audience as well as a dedicated LGBTQ+ viewership.
The show’s stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, were virtually unknown before being cast but have since been signed by a major Hollywood talent agency and have made high-profile appearances on late-night talk shows and awards ceremonies.
Global Expansion and Fan Frenzy
The show’s success is not confined to North America. Heated Rivalry began streaming in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic and the Now service on January 10, 2026. It is also available in other international markets like New Zealand on Neon and in Spain on Movistar Plus+.
A massive part of the show’s buzz has been driven by fans on social media, particularly on TikTok. The platform’s “HockeyTok” community, already passionate about hockey romance stories, enthusiastically embraced the adaptation. Fans have created countless edits—compilations of show clips set to music—that have garnered millions of views, further propelling the series into the cultural spotlight.
“I’m nothing if not a yearner, and ‘Heated Rivalry’ had the yearning down,” said Amber Appelman, a fan who creates viral edits. “The rivalry and the sex between these characters is exciting for sure, but the cracks that start to form in their feelings towards one another through the years is what really sold me.”
This organic, fan-driven marketing has been a key component of the show’s breakthrough, proving its deep connection with audiences.
About Season Two
With season two officially on the way, the creative team plans to draw from The Long Game, the sixth book in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series. The story will continue to follow Shane and Ilya as they navigate a sustained, secret relationship and face new external pressures.
Showrunner Jacob Tierney has confirmed that the focus will remain on the central couple’s evolving relationship, with sex continuing to be a part of the narrative but not the sole focus. He has also hinted that audiences will see more of supporting characters like Scott Hunter and Kip Grady, whose romance was a major part of the first season.
The budget for the new season is expected to be larger, but producers have joked that it likely still won’t be enough to accommodate singer Miley Cyrus, who publicly expressed interest in contributing music to the show.
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