Ok does anyone else watch, or at least encounter ads for, vertical dramas? The ones on apps like MyDrama and ReelShort, that are really over-dramatic, with lots of romance trope plots like mafia arranged marriages and such?
Because the Heated Rivalry knockoffs in that world are wild right now.
"Bound to My Hot Rival" is a new one on DramaPops about rival boxers who bang. One is a North American named Shane and the other is a Russian guy with curly hair wearing a gold necklace (played by an American actor, so the accent and backstory were definitely deliberate).
And well, just look at the typeface and red/purple lighting on the ad...
There's also one on DramaWave, Drive Him Wild, where a star hockey player (white guy) falls in love with his team doctor (Asian guy), and it definitely feels like a HR AU. The promo has lots of "heated" and similar phrases thrown in.
Both these verticals have actors who are big-ish names in the world of m/m verticals so I expect this is a winning formula for the verticals studios.
