How to watch Heated Rivalry – can you stream it in the UK?

Heated Rivalry is the ice hockey romance that’s got everyone talking, and UK viewers can finally get in on the action.

The steamy Canadian drama landed across the pond on 10 January after a tantalising six-week wait and is available to stream now.

Based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Reid, the show follows the secret and burgeoning romance between hockey rivals Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) – who are also Canadian and Russian respectively, which adds an extra layer of spice.

"I think the writing is brilliant," Williams said (via The Hollywood Reporter) of why it's become so incredibly popular. "I know there is a lot of sex and a lot of stuff that’s sparking interest in it. There’s a very garish title. It’s not subtle in advertising. But I always thought from the moment I read [them], they are Emmys quality scripts, and Jacob [Tierney] is a brilliant writer."

"I’m honoured to be a part of this. All Connor and I could do was f**k it up," he added, going on to tell Variety that he was instantly drawn to his character. "I mean, I was falling in love with him even when I read the sides, which were just the audition… like, two scenes I got for the audition. By the time I finished reading episode 6, I was crying. I felt like no one else was allowed to play him. I needed to play him."

Speaking about the casting of the two leads, on which the entire show hinges, Reid revealed that Storrie's came first.

"I didn’t even hear about another possibility for Ilya," she added. "If there was one, I didn’t know about it. I know that [screenwriter] Jacob was very excited about Connor. But it was a thing where we said that he pretty much has to be actually Russian because if he’s not, it’s going to be so distracting. People will be able to tell. The whole thing falls apart if he’s not believably Russian.

"So when he told me, 'Well, he’s American and does not have Russian heritage, but he’s really good,' I was like, 'Well, OK, if you say so.' I think it took a little longer to find Hudson, but as soon as they did their chemistry read, Jacob was very excited about it. I can’t even imagine what other actors would’ve been like."

Tierney expanded on that in an interview with Deadline: "This show lives and dies with them, so we needed to make sure that this worked together. There are terrific actors who are in, you know… They're just in different shows. You need to find the people who are going to be together in the same show, and that’s what the two of them had quite instantly."

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The steamy drama has become streaming service Crave's biggest original series on record and is proving itself to be somewhat of a cultural phenomenon.

With that in mind, fans across the globe might be wondering how they can watch the sports drama. If that's you, read on for all the latest streaming options.

How to watch Heated Rivalry online

If you live in Canada, you can watch the hockey drama on Crave.

In the US, the series is airing exclusively on HBO Max. The first two episodes are now available to stream on the platform with subsequent episodes dropping every Friday.

On 19th November, it was announced that Heated Rivalry had been acquired by HBO Max for US and Australian distribution, with the series debuting nine days later on 28th November.

Despite this quick turnaround which meant there was minimal time for advertising, the series quickly soared into the top 10 chart of HBO Max’s most-watched series.

Can you stream Heated Rivalry in the UK?

Heated Rivalry debuted in the UK on Friday 10th January, airing on Sky and streaming service NOW.

Will there be a season 2 of Heated Rivalry?

It's exciting news – according to Deadline, Canadian streamer Crave has greenlit a second season of Heated Rivalry.

HBO Max is also in on the deal, which bodes well for viewers across the pond with its upcoming UK and Ireland launch in March 2026.

Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney has teased that season 2 will be based on The Long Game by author Rachel Reid. Reid's six-part Game Changers series currently includes only two novels about Shane and Ilya, but a third chapter in their romance story is expected to hit book store shelves this year.

According to Deadline, the seventh book will be titled Unrivaled and will be released on 29 September this year.

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