Heated Rivalry fans notice series has been ‘sped up’ for UK release

Canadian TV hit Heated Rivalry has finally been released in the UK – though fans have noticed a subtle difference with the version British viewers are receiving.

The series, which has developed a loyal and vocal fanbase over the past two months, follows a love affair between two male ice hockey players, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).

While Heated Rivalry debuted in North America back in November, it has only today (10 January) arrived in the UK, on Sky and streaming service NOW.

Reaction to the arrival has been effusive, with fans celebrating on social media that it is “time to join the cult” of the hit show.

Sky assured fans ahead of the series’ debut that there would be no edits to the show itself, allaying any fears that some of the show’s more explicit sexual content may be dialled down.

“No cuts. No edits. (we know you were worried about that one...),” the broadcaster posted on X, the day before the series released.

A few fans complained, however, that the new series seems to be “sped up”, with the new episode running at a faster speed to the original Canadian broadcast.

The change also means that the episode is shorter. For example, on Sky and NOW, episode one runs for 47 minutes and 51 seconds, whereas the original episode ran for over 49 minutes.

“You tell the truth - why have you pitched up/sped up the eps?” one fan asked on X/Twitter.

“Have I lost my mind or is Heated Rivalry on Sky slightly higher pitched?” asked another.

In fact, the likely reason for the speeding up of the show has to do with UK broadcast formats – with the practice historically being commonplace when it comes to imported US television.

Over in the US, TV shows broadcast at a speed of 24 frames per second, and American (and Canadian) TV productions are filmed to this format.

In the UK, however, TV is broadcast at 25 frames per second – a small change, but one that means US shows are often required to air slightly faster.

All six episodes of Heated Rivalry are available to watch now on Sky and NOW.