"There's something different about the "Heated Rivalry" online fandom from what I typically see - something strange brewing in the feeds, something I haven't seen in a long time, or maybe ever. It's easy for a topic to suddenly take over my Instagram Reels or TikTok feeds - those algorithms seem so sensitive that interacting with just a handful of posts on a topic can instantly send you down a rabbit hole."
"What made me realize that "Heated Rivalry" fandom was breaking through to some new level was that it managed to take over my X feed. X tends to be far more resistant to change on the "For You" feed, and seems to think I always want to see the most awful people saying the most infuriating things. And yet in the dead week between Christmas and New Year's, something finally broke through - "Heated Rivalry.""
"'Heated Rivalry,' a show about a secret romance (with a lot of explicit sex scenes) between professional hockey players, showed up with little promotion on HBO in November, and it's been a surprise hit. The romance is between two men, but the fans are, in large part, straight women (although there's also plenty of queer fans); I find this not too complicated to understand: It's sexy, it's romantic, there's yearning, hot guys, high production values, and pacing to make the six episodes"
Heated Rivalry is a hockey-set series portraying a secret romance between two professional players, including explicit sex scenes. The show premiered on HBO with minimal promotion and became a surprise hit. Fans are creating GIFs, video edits, memes, and breathless commentary that flood Instagram Reels, TikTok, and X. The fandom skews toward straight women alongside queer fans. Mainstream viewers and casual users are participating, producing viral edits and coordinated sharing. The phenomenon demonstrates a change in how online fandoms mobilize and spread beyond niche communities.
Read at Business Insider
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