HBO Max Says ‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Huge — So Why Hasn’t It Registered With Nielsen?

Since it premiered on HBO Max in late November, Heated Rivalry has rocketed with the force of a blue-line slap shot into the pop culture consciousness. It has spurred countless edits and fan posts on social media and made overnight sensations of stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams.

It’s also drawing in a large audience: According to HBO’s first-party data, Heated Rivalry is averaging 9 million viewers per episode in the United States, a number that will continue to grow for several more weeks (HBO and HBO Max measure viewing for 90 days after a season premiere). That puts the series in the upper echelon of HBO Max shows. HBO Max and Crave, the Canadian outlet that commissioned the show based on Rachel Reid’s romance novel, quickly ordered a second season.

One place Heated Rivalry hasn’t yet shown up, however, is in Nielsen’s streaming charts. The ratings…