Heated Rivalry fans notice UK episodes are shorter than original Canadian version – here’s why
"What happened to ‘no edits, no cuts’?” one fan wrote to X
By Aaron Sugg
Heated Rivalry fans have noticed that the UK runtime on Sky and NOW is shorter than that of the original Canadian hockey series on Crave and HBO Max.
Landing in the UK on 10 January, fans are now able to watch Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams appear on-screen in a heated gay romance between their characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
Despite Sky reassuring fans that the UK availability would feature no edits, writing on X: “No cuts. No edits. (We know you were worried about that one…),” fans beg to differ.
Heated Rivalry. All episodes. Tomorrow.
— Sky TV (@skytv) January 9, 2026
No cuts. No edits. (we know you were worried about that one…) pic.twitter.com/lYB8zMZ2T7
“They sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks” – one fan commented on the UK edition of Heated Rivalry being sped up
On Sky and NOW, episode one runs for 47 minutes and 51 seconds, whereas the original episode ran for over 49 minutes.
Claiming the UK edition is “sped up”, fans have taken to social media to complain. “I’m crying – Heated Rivalry on NOW TV is for real sped up, they sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks,” one user said.
Drawing attention to specific moments, one tweet read: “NOW TV and Sky, you’ve sped up the club scene in episode four of Heated Rivalry and I’m not having it. The song is so much faster! Fix it please now — what happened to ‘no edits, no cuts’?”
Why is Heated Rivalry in the UK sped up?
However, fans have since uncovered the reason why – and it is due to the difference between American and UK television broadcasting formats, specifically frames per second (the rate at which frames are displayed to create a moving image).
As one user explained on X: “The US, Canada and Australia are broadcast at 24 frames per second, but in the UK they are broadcast at 25fps.”
Despite this, Heated Rivalry’s arrival in the UK has proven hugely popular, charting at number one on NOW TV, with viewing parties held across the UK over the weekend.
The six-part series has proven such a success that it has been renewed for a second season, set to introduce two new characters based on Rachel Reid’s The Long Game.
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