Canadian streamer Crave renewed “Heated Rivalry” for Season 2 on Friday.
HBO Max will continue to hold the rights to the LGBTQ+ hockey drama in the U.S. and Australia. The streamer will also have rights to the first two seasons in Asia — specifically Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Macau, Sri Lanka, and Nepal — as well as in Latin America and Europe, excluding the U.K., Ireland, Spain, and Turkey. Program distributor Sphere Abacus handles global distribution for the series.
In New Zealand, NEON (Sky New Zealand) will have the rights to Season 2 after securing the streaming rights to Season 1. Additional global partners, including the U.K., will be announced at a later date.
“Heated Rivalry” centers around two superstar hockey players, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). On the ice, their intense rivalry becomes a media spectacle. But the more they compete against each other, the more they fall into a passionate relationship. The series follows the two throughout their secret, years-long romance, alternating between the extreme stress of the league with their feelings for one another.
The romantic drama has become a sensation across North America. “Heated Rivalry” is Crave’s biggest original series on record. It grew its viewership by nearly 400% during its initial seven-day streams following its debut, according to internal data from mParticle and Amazon Channels.
“‘Heated Rivalry’ represents the very best of what Canadian creators can deliver: rich characters, compelling drama and a world audiences want to live in,” said Justin Stockman, vice president of content and programming at Bell Media, one of the production companies behind the series. “The response has been extraordinary, and seeing the series now traveling internationally is an incredible milestone.”
“Watching our show become an international phenomenon has been extraordinary,” said show creator Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady in a joint statement. “We’re profoundly grateful to everyone that has been on this journey with us. Being renewed for a second season so early is a true honour, and we can’t wait to bring you even more of what you love.”
“Heated Rivalry” is produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media’s Crave, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Bell Fund. Tierney serves as the writer, director, producer and executive producer for the series. Brady is a producer and executive producer
Lori Fischburg is also a producer, and Rachel Reid is consulting producer. For Bell Media, Alison Korogyi is senior production executive for original programming; Sarah Fowlie is head of production for original programming; Adam Feigen is development executive for scripted original programming; Rachel Goldstein-Couto is head of development for original programming; Brian Blazik is head of Bell Media sales for Sphere Abacus; Carlyn Klebuc is general manager for original programming; and Stockman is vice president of content development and programming.
