BCE, the parent company of Bell and the Crave streaming service, reports third-quarter results Thursday, Nov. 5, and its finance chief has already named “Heated Rivalry” as a driver of Crave’s subscriber growth.
“Crave’s direct streaming subscribers grew 65% year-over-year, supported by market-leading content, including Heated Rivalry, which continues to generate strong domestic and international engagement and underpin subscriber growth,” chief financial officer Curtis Millen said on BCE’s Feb. 5 earnings call, according to the company’s transcript.
BCE has not given a separate subscriber count for the show starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. “Total Crave subscriptions increased 26% from last year to approximately 4.6 million,” BCE’s fourth-quarter release said, covering the three months in which “Heated Rivalry” premiered. That total includes subscriptions through TV providers as well as direct streaming accounts. The 26% and 65% growth rates measure different groups.
Crave Subscribers Rose 26% the Quarter ‘Heated Rivalry’ Premiered
The series debuted in late November, The Canadian Press reported, and The Globe and Mail linked Crave’s jump to its success and that of the French-language drama “Empathie.” Chief executive Mirko Bibic called the show “a global sensation” on the February call.
Bibic said Crave finished 2025 having added “more than 1 million subscribers.” The fourth-quarter release went further. “Crave Original Heated Rivalry has received unprecedented global fanfare since its debut,” it said.
Distributor Sphere Abacus sold the series to HBO Max in territories including the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Australia, according to the release, which added, “The smash hit series has received an early renewal for Season 2.”
Crave got a revamp that quarter, too. “Bell Media announced the largest expansion of Crave in the streamer’s history,” the release said. MobileSyrup reported that the late-November overhaul brought more content and new features, and it said it wasn’t clear what effect, if any, the redesign had on subscriber growth.
Shane and Ilya Made BCE’s May Earnings Call, Too
When BCE reported its first quarter in May, Crave’s subscriptions were up 25% from a year earlier, at 4.74 million. “Q1 was the most-watched quarter in Crave history,” Bibic said on the May 7 call, according to BCE’s transcript.
He brought the show up again while talking about selling Crave originals abroad. “This builds on the global success of Heated Rivalry, which continues to generate cultural impact through Q1, earning a Peabody Award, multiple Canadian Screen Awards, and a second season renewal,” Bibic said.
BCE’s first-quarter release said Bell Media earned 202 nominations at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards. “Highlights included 18 nominations for Heated Rivalry and 11 nominations for Canada’s Drag Race,” it said.
Bibic also put a number on where Crave is headed. “That’s exceptional growth in any market, and with our target of 6 million subscribers by 2028, we have a clear runway ahead,” he said.
Crave Topped 5 Million Subscribers in BCE’s Second Quarter
Crave ended June with 5.07 million subscriptions, up 23% from a year earlier, BCE’s second-quarter release said, in a quarter when Bell also carried the FIFA World Cup. “Crave surpassed 5 million subscribers, growing 23% year-over-year to 5.1 million,” Bibic said on the Aug. 6 call, according to BCE’s transcript.
He didn’t mention “Heated Rivalry” on that call, the transcript shows. “Our investment in Canadian storytelling and building cultural sovereignty will continue to help drive future Crave growth,” Bibic said in the release.
BCE Reports Nov. 5, With Season 2 Due Spring 2027
BCE’s earnings call starts at 10 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 5. Bibic and Millen will discuss the quarter that ended Sept. 30. The company has included a Crave subscriber total in each of its past three earnings releases.
New episodes are still months off. “Season 2 is set to premiere in Spring 2027,” Bell Media said Aug. 13. Production was underway in the Greater Toronto Area and Montreal by August, Rolling Stone Canada reported.
