Sky Lands Canadian Hockey Hit ‘Heated Rivalry’ For UK & Ireland

Heated Rivalry, one of the most hotly-anticipated romantic dramas in recent years, will launch in the UK and Ireland early next year.

via: Deadline

Heated Rivalry is on its way to the UK and Ireland. Sky has acquired the buzzy Canadian drama series and plans to launch it on January 10, 2026.

As we first told you last week, a deal in the UK had been expected for some time, with multiple buyers understood to have made offers. Comcast-backed Sky has now won out on the show, which is based on Rachel Reid’s ‘Game Changers’ book series, following a deal with distributor Sphere Abacus.

The queer-themed story of rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey who bound by ambition, rivalry and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. They begin a secret fling that turns into a long and complicated relationship over eight years.

François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova also star.

The show comes from Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media streamer Crave, and was created Canadian writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney (Letterkenny, Shoresy). Lucy Criddle, Sky’s Director of Acquisitions and Strategic Projects, and Alexander Wright, Acquisitions Manager, acquired it for the UK and Ireland.

The news comes after Deadline on Friday revealed the show had been renewed for a second season at Crave, with HBO Max once again attached for U.S right. Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service also acquired the show for Asia and Latin America, with Neon/Sky New Zealand also attached.

Season 1 of the steamy drama is now Crave’s biggest original series on record, growing its viewership by nearly 400% in initial seven-day streams following its debut two weeks ago on Friday, November 28, per mParticle and Amazon Channels internal data.

It has emerged as a cultural lightning rod in Canada and become a social media sensation across North America and Europe, with fan edits, reaction threads and behind-the-scenes clips flooding feeds across platforms. The buzz began early, with Heated Rivalry a top three trending topic on X in hockey-mad Canada during its premiere weekend. The final episode is due to drop on Friday, December 26.