Culture · Streaming
Key Facts
—The viewership surge: Heated Rivalry, the Canadian gay hockey romance series produced for Crave and distributed in the United States by HBO Max, reached an average of 10.6 million weekly viewers per episode in the United States by February 9, 2026, the highest non-animated acquired-series ratings recorded by HBO Max since the platform launched in 2020.
—The Latin American distribution: The six-episode first season launched in HBO Max Latinoamérica on February 13, 2026 across all major Latin American markets including Brazil (as Rivalidade Ardente), Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Uruguay (as Más que rivales in Spanish-speaking territories), with international distribution managed by Sphere Abacus, the United Kingdom outfit majority owned by Bell Media.
—The Peabody recognition: Heated Rivalry won a Peabody Award on April 23, 2026, in the entertainment category alongside HBO Max series The Pitt, Disney+ political drama Andor, FX-Hulu’s Dying for Sex and Netflix’s Adolescence, with HBO Max collecting six total Peabody wins, the most of any streaming platform for the 86th annual edition of the awards ceremony scheduled for May 31 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
