Heated Rivalry UK: How to Watch the Hockey Drama on Sky

If you haven’t seen anyone on your timeline posting about Heated Rivalry in the last few weeks, chances are you’ve been avoiding social media on purpose. The hockey romance drama has become the sleeper hit of early 2026, and the Heated Rivalry UK release is finally here.

Heated Rivalry landed on Sky and NOW on 10 January, following a run on HBO Max that saw it climb to No.1 in the United States by the end of 2025. It’s adapted from Rachel Reid’s novel series of the same name, and it stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as two professional ice hockey players who fall into a complicated relationship across opposing teams.

Word of mouth has been unusually strong for a show that nobody in the UK was really expecting. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re thinking of giving it a try.

What Is Heated Rivalry About?

Heated Rivalry follows Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two star hockey players on rival NHL teams who meet as teenagers at the draft and end up sharing a hotel room for a one-off hookup. That moment turns into a years-long secret affair, conducted quietly between games and training camps while both men are expected to perform as straight athletes in a sport that has never had an openly gay player at the top level.

The show is based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling novel series, which built a huge fanbase online before this adaptation was commissioned. The book’s tone sits somewhere between sports drama and slow-burn romance, and the TV version keeps that balance. The hockey scenes are well shot and feel genuine, and the quieter moments between the two leads carry real emotional weight.

It’s also properly steamy. The show doesn’t shy away from its romance roots, and that’s part of why it’s become such a word-of-mouth hit.

Heated Rivalry UK: Where to Watch on Sky and NOW

In the UK, Heated Rivalry is available on Sky Atlantic via Sky Go, and on NOW with an Entertainment membership. It’s not on Prime Video or Netflix here, despite some confusion online caused by international licensing differences.

A NOW Entertainment membership costs £9.99 per month at the time of writing, and new customers can usually find a free trial on offer if you’re only planning to watch one series. Sky subscribers can access the full run on demand without any extra cost.

All eight episodes of the first season are available to binge, which is worth knowing before you start. Episodes are roughly 50 to 55 minutes, so the full season clocks in at around seven hours.

If you want to know more about streaming service pricing in the UK, our Euphoria Season 3 UK watch guide covers similar ground for Sky Atlantic subscribers.

Cast and Performances

Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander, the clean-cut Canadian prodigy, and Connor Storrie plays Ilya Rozanov, the cockier Russian star. Both are relative newcomers, and the casting has been widely praised as the series’ biggest win.

Their chemistry is genuinely convincing, and both actors put in the physical work to make the hockey scenes look right. Storrie in particular has taken home most of the early awards buzz, with a Golden Globe nomination reported last month. The supporting cast includes familiar faces from Canadian and American television, though the spotlight stays firmly on the two leads.

Critics have been kind. The show holds a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 89 reviews, with the site’s critics consensus calling it “an all-consuming, steamy, dreamy love fest of true queer intent.” It finished 2025 on year-end best-of lists from Cosmopolitan, the New York Post, Refinery29, The Seattle Times and the Toronto Star.

Is Heated Rivalry Worth Watching?

If you like a slow-burn love story with proper stakes, yes. Heated Rivalry doesn’t try to be anything clever, and it isn’t trying to be a prestige drama. It’s a romance, told well, with two leads who clearly believe in the material.

The hockey stuff is a bonus rather than the main event, which is the right call. You don’t need to know anything about the sport to follow the plot. The series does a good job of explaining the pressures of professional hockey without turning into a lecture, and the games are shot like action sequences rather than sports broadcasts.

The one fair criticism is that the show is almost too focused on the two main characters. Supporting players feel thinly sketched, and Ilya’s Russian family storyline gets rushed in the final two episodes. If a second season is confirmed, there’s plenty of room to widen the lens.

For a sense of what else is worth streaming this spring, our Big Mood Season 2 preview covers another returning British comedy, and our Sinners film review takes a closer look at Ryan Coogler’s Oscar winner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Heated Rivalry on Netflix or Prime Video in the UK?

No. Heated Rivalry is a Sky exclusive in the UK. You can stream it via Sky Atlantic on Sky Go if you have a Sky subscription, or on NOW with an Entertainment membership. It’s not available on Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+ here.

How many episodes are in Heated Rivalry season 1?

Season 1 has eight episodes, each running roughly 50 to 55 minutes. All episodes are available to stream now, so you can binge the full season in about seven hours.

Is there going to be a Heated Rivalry season 2?

A second season has not been officially confirmed as of April 2026, but strong viewing figures and critical reception have made a renewal highly likely. Rachel Reid’s book series has multiple sequels, so there’s plenty of source material for future runs.

Is Heated Rivalry based on a book?

Yes, it’s adapted from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novel series, specifically the first book, Heated Rivalry (2020). The books have a huge following, particularly on BookTok, which helped drive early interest in the TV adaptation.