EXCLUSIVE: Tv’s steamiest Heated Rivalry is simply getting began.
We will reveal Canadian streamer Crave has greenlighted a second season of LGBTQ+ ice hockey drama, with HBO Max once more boarding for rights within the U.S. and Australia and now hanging offers with program distributor Sphere Abacus for extra territories.
The Warner Bros Discovery-owned streamer has tapped sequence for Season 1 and Season 2 rights for Europe (excluding the UK, Eire, Spain and Turkey), Asia and Latin America, and Neon/Sky New Zealand can also be returning for Season 2. The HBO Max settlement is Asia spans Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Macau, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Heated Rivalry, a few pair of high skilled hockey gamers who secretly develop a romantic relationship that lasts through the years, rapidly established itself as a flagship present for Crave and has been hailed by a number of reviewers as among the many most important LGBTQ+ exhibits on tv. We’ve been monitoring it carefully because it was introduced on the Crave Upfront this yr and named it a present to observe at MIPCOM Cannes in October, the place Sphere Abacus launched the present to worldwide patrons.
The steamy drama is now Crave’s greatest authentic sequence on file, rising its viewership by practically 400% in preliminary seven-day streams following its debut two weeks in the past on Friday, November 28, per mParticle and Amazon Channels inside information.
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It has rising as a cultural lightning rod in Canada and has been a social media sensation throughout North America and Europe, with fan edits, response threads and behind-the-scenes clips flooding feeds throughout platforms. The excitement started early, with Heated Rivalry a high three trending subject on X in hockey-mad Canada throughout its premiere weekend. The ultimate episode is because of drop on Friday, December 26.
Extra worldwide offers are anticipated quickly, as buzz continues even in territories the place the present isn’t but obtainable. We perceive a number of patrons within the UK have been chasing Heated Rivalry, with a deal wanting imminent.
Created by Canadian writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney (Letterkenny, Shoresy) and primarily based on Rachel Reid best-selling guide sequence Recreation Changers, the six-episode, one-hour romantic drama tells the story of rival hockey gamers Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
RELATED: ‘Heated Rivalry’: First Look At Crave’s Steamy Canadian Ice Hockey Drama
They’re two of the largest stars in Main League Hockey, tied collectively by their ambition, rivalry and a magnetic pull neither of them understands. They start a secret fling as rookies that morphs into a protracted journey of affection, denial and self-discovery over the following eight years. They’re pressured to resolve if there’s room for love of their fiercely aggressive world.
Earlier this week, my colleague Glenn Garner spoke with leads Williams and Storrie concerning the latest episode on Season 1, titled “Rose.” The pair leads an ensemble solid that features François Arnaud as Scott Hunter, Robbie G.Ok. as Kip Grady, Christina Chang and Dylan Walsh as Yuna and David Hollander, Sophie Nélisse as Rose Landry, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana.
“Heated Rivalry represents the easiest of what Canadian creators can ship: wealthy characters, compelling drama and a world audiences need to dwell in,” stated Justin Stockman, VP Content material and Programming at Crave mother or father Bell Media. “The response has been extraordinary, and seeing the sequence now travelling internationally is an unbelievable milestone.”
In an announcement, present creator Tierney and government producer Brendan Brady added: “Watching our present change into a world phenomenon has been extraordinary. We’re profoundly grateful to everybody that has been on this journey with us. Being renewed for a second season so early is a real honor, and we will’t wait to convey you much more of what you like.”
Heated Rivalry comes from Tierney and Brady’s Accent Aigu Leisure in affiliation with Crave, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Bell Fund. Tierney is author, director, producer and government producer, with Brady the producer and government producer. Lori Fischburg is producer and guide author Reid is consulting producer.
For Bell Media, Alison Korogyi is Senior Manufacturing Government, Unique Programming; Sarah Fowlie is Head of Manufacturing, Unique Programming; Adam Feigen is Growth Government, Scripted Unique Programming Rachel Goldstein-Couto is Head of Growth, Unique Programming; Brian Blazik is Head of Bell Media Gross sales, Sphere Abacus; Carlyn Klebuc is Common Supervisor, Unique Programming; and Stockman is Vice President, Content material Growth & Programming.
The sequence is distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus, which is owned by Canadian producer Sphere Media and the first distributor of programming from Bell, which can also be a stakeholder within the UK-based firm.
Accent Aigu Leisure is repped by CAA & 3 Arts. Their lawyer is Jayme Alter of Dentons Canada LLP.
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