Entertainment

From Crave to HBO Max: How Two Canadian Series Crossed Into the U.S.

Putri ArdhanaPublished 3d ago2 min readBased on 10 sources
From Crave to HBO Max: How Two Canadian Series Crossed Into the U.S.
Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

A gay hockey drama made in Canada now plays on HBO Max in the United States. A Canadian small-town drama now plays on The CW.

Sarah Weaver, director of content at Bell Media, named both titles as examples of home-grown stories finding buyers abroad. She was speaking on the “Think Global, Act Local” panel at the Access Canada Summit, powered by The Hollywood Reporter and held in Toronto during the Toronto Film Festival. The 2026 summit ran on Sept 14–16, according to organisers Access Canada Summit.

Weaver pointed first to Heated Rivalry. It is a Canadian series that centres on two rival professional hockey players. Hudson Williams plays Canadian-born Shane Hollander, and the books behind the series were written by Rachel Reid. The series started on Crave, the Canadian streamer, where it was described as a breakout hit The Hollywood Reporter.

Weaver said that drama landed on HBO Max in the United States. She paired it with Sullivan’s Crossing, a Canadian series that sold to The CW in the U.S. market The Hollywood Reporter.

Sullivan’s Crossing came from Roma Roth, creator of Virgin River, through a partnership with Bell Media with early involvement from Fremantle. Michela Di Mondo, executive vice president of distribution, Canada and international, for Fremantle, also spoke on the panel. Distribution here means finding broadcasters and streamers in other countries to buy and show a programme.

Samantha De France, head of production and post production, international originals Canada, for Amazon MGM Studios, addressed the other side of the trade. She told the panel that localising global formats for Canada is a true partnership with independent producers. A format is a ready-made show idea sold country to country and then remade locally.

The summit took place at the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto, Ontario. It is produced by Access Canada, which also produces The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Canada event. This year’s summit shared joint programming sessions with TIFF: The Market, and the two offered a dual pass option.

For fans, this means the path is simple. A show can be made for one audience at home and still be bought for another abroad.

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