‘Heated Rivalry’, a character-driven ice hockey romance centred on two rival NHL stars, is emerging as one of 2025–26’s most widely travelled new dramas.
The series first premiered in Canada on Crave on 28 November 2025, reflecting Bell Media’s position as the originating broadcaster. It launched the same day in the US and Australia on HBO Max, marking the beginning of its international rollout.
Following those initial debuts, global distribution has been handled by Bell Media’s Sphere Abacus. In the months since launch, the series has secured a broad footprint across both Warner Bros. Discovery’s owned-and-operated services and third-party partners.
HBO Max has emerged as the primary international home for the show. After its initial US and Australian launches, the series rolled out across Asia Pacific (19 December 2025), the Netherlands and Sweden (23 January 2026), and then across France, Germany, Mexico and Poland (6 February 2026), followed by Brazil and Italy (13 February 2026).
However, even within HBO Max territories, the distribution pattern underlines the strength of some traditional Pay TV platforms as buyers. Sky Atlantic acquired the UK premiere on 10 January 2026, despite Sky losing out to HBO Max in both Germany and Italy. Similarly, in Spain, the show has been sold to Movistar Plus+, overriding HBO’s longstanding presence in Spain, with HBO España going as far back as 2016.
Meanwhile, firmly outside of HBO’s sphere of influence, the Indian premiere is primed for 20 February 2026 on Lionsgate Play.
‘Heated Rivalry’ has yet to premiere in several major territories, including China, Japan, South Korea and South Africa, with further deals expected. We will continue to track additional sales and premiere activity as they are announced.
Dramas centred on North American sports have historically struggled to find meaningful audiences outside their cultural home, yet ‘Heated Rivalry’ appears to be bucking that trend, securing rapid and widespread distribution across Europe, Latin America and Asia within weeks of its debut. For buyers, this success reinforces the sustained appetite for premium, relationship-led drama, even when anchored in culturally specific subject matter.
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