# ‘Heated Rivalry’ is a steamy export from a frigid place

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/plain-english-227674/heated-rivalry-is-a-steamy-export-from-a-frigid-place
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/plain-english-227674/heated-rivalry-is-a-steamy-export-from-a-frigid-place.md
Podcast: [Plain English](https://stenobird.com/podcast/plain-english-227674)
Published: 2026-03-02T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://plainenglish.com/843
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/118bab3a-7fb0-4e54-a4c8-7296ddc3e6db.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/plain-english-227674/episodes/heated-rivalry-is-a-steamy-export-from-a-frigid-place
Duration seconds: 951

## Resource

Today's story: When a Canadian producer pitched a TV adaptation of a gay hockey romance novel, major U.S. streamers hesitated. It was about a niche sport, featured explicit same-sex scenes, and was based on a romance novel. But a smaller Canadian platform took a chance on the story, and the series became a massive hit in Canada and around the world. Its success surprised everyone. But the clues to its success were there all along. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/843 Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/843 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English at a speed you can understand New stories every week Learn even more at PlainEnglish.com Mentioned in this episode: Hard words? No problem Never be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

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## Transcript

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