Summary
Overview
Planet Money explores the business of television production through the lens of Heated Rivalry, a surprise hit Canadian hockey romance series. Host Kenny Malone talks with journalist Kara Swisher about her interview with the show's creators, Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady, who reveal how Canada's unique funding model allows producers to retain IP rights while making high-quality shows on modest budgets—a stark contrast to the bloated costs and studio ownership that dominate American production.
The Surprise Cultural Phenomenon
Heated Rivalry became an unexpected cultural sensation, earning praise from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and selling out all merchandise despite modest expectations. Based on a romance novel series and featuring explicit queer content that American distributors initially feared, the show found massive audience by taking female desire and queer joy seriously—a demographic historically underserved by prestige television.
- All official Heated Rivalry merchandise sold out completely, indicating creators underestimated demand
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney publicly celebrated the show as representing fundamental Canadian values
- The show focuses on queer joy and fantasy rather than trauma, presenting desire in an un-preachy way
- Romance novels have massive readership primarily among women whose stories aren't taken seriously in media
" This is a story written by women and it's consumed primarily by women. And we don't take female desire and stories seriously in media a lot of the times. There's so many readers of all types of romance novels. They're there and they are yearning for for these stories to be told. "
The Canadian Production Model vs. Hollywood
Heated Rivalry was made for under $3 million Canadian per episode—dramatically less than typical American productions. The Canadian system uses government subsidies and tax credits covering 40-60% of budgets, with broadcasters providing only 20-30% through license fees. This allows producers to retain all intellectual property rights, a fundamental difference from the U.S. studio system where creators typically forfeit ownership for larger upfront budgets.
- Heated Rivalry cost under $3 million CAD ($2.2 million USD) per episode, far below typical U.S. drama budgets of $4-10 million
- Canadian broadcasters like Crave provide only 20-30% of budget as license fee, with government tax credits covering another 20-30%
- Producers must raise the final 30-40% themselves but retain all underlying IP rights—the producers become the studio
- Tierney and Brady invested almost all their producer fees to secure the final 10% of funding
" We as the producers own all the underlying IP. So that is a big difference. So you don't sell it to a studio. Exactly. We are the studio in this system. "
" For a hundred years, this business was run on the idea that creators and the people who made it got to own and benefit from what they did for their entire lives. And I think that that's something worth fighting for. "
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