The National Hockey League has a new fan base: Enthusiasts of “Heated Rivalry,” the hit HBO show that debuted on the streaming platform in November.
The show — based on a series of books,”Game Changers,” by Rachel Reid — is only loosely based on hockey, and features more romance between two professional hockey stars on rival teams than slick moves on the ice. Yet SeatGeek data suggests that Heated Rivalry, which stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, has driven a “noticeable spike” in demand for NHL tickets and revenue for the league, according to the ticket seller.
The mobile ticketing company said it saw weekly hockey ticket sales rise more than 20% after the show first aired.
“When HBO released ‘Heated Rivalry’ earlier this winter, the series didn’t just light up social media feeds, it may have sent fans straight to hockey games themselves,” SeatGeek said in an analysis of ticket sales through its platform.
There was no similar surge in demand during the same period a year ago.
“In short, the strong lift seen so far this year did not exist during the same stretch last season, which could suggest that something beyond normal NHL demand patterns may be at play,” SeatGeek added.
SeatGeek also saw a rise in both single-ticket sales among fans attending games on their own, plus stronger demand from first-time game attendees.
“‘Heated Rivalry’ has certainly piqued interest in hockey and the NHL,” SeatGeek marketing director Chris Leyden said in a statement. “We are seeing it both in terms of more people on SeatGeek shopping for NHL tickets, as well as a pretty notable increase in single ticket buyers as more people check out a game, often for the first time ever.”
