After ‘Heated Rivalry’ Phenomenon, Canal+ Distribution Is Bringing the Original Thai Boys’ Love Catalog to the U.S. (EXCLUSIVE)

By Naman Ramachandran

Naman Ramachandran

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Canal+ Distribution is bringing the Viu Originals Boys’ Love catalog to the U.S., with Thai titles including “The Rebound,” “4 Minutes,” “Shadow” and “Close Friend” having already attracted interest from major American streaming platforms.

Boys’ Love, also known as BL, is a genre of male romantic stories that originated in Japan and expanded across Asia over the past two decades. The move follows the U.S. breakout of “Heated Rivalry,” the Canadian hockey romance that drew on Boys’ Love genre conventions to become a phenomenon on HBO Max — and in doing so, opened a mainstream American audience to BL storytelling.

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