Canal+ Distribution is bringing its Viu Originals Boys’ Love catalog to the U.S., with Thai titles such as “The Rebound,” “4 Minutes,” “Shadow” and “Close Friend” already attracting interest from major U.S. streaming platforms.
Boys love, also known as BL, is a genre of romantic stories aimed at men that originated in Japan and has expanded across Asia over the past two decades. The move follows the breakout of Canadian hockey romance Heat Rivalry in the US, which became a phenomenon on HBO Max by taking the conventions of the boy’s love genre, thereby opening the door to BL storytelling to mainstream US audiences.
“The U.S. market did not discover boy love through ‘hot rivalry,'” says Francesca Leon de la Barra, vice president of marketing and communications at Canal+ Distribution. “The demand was already there, and to meet that demand, we are finally offering our original catalogue.”
Viu is one of the largest streaming platforms in Southeast Asia with 62 million monthly active users. Thailand currently produces 30 to 40 types of BL series per year, compared to less than 10 types 10 years ago. Data from Parrot Analytics shows that selected titles have a demand level of over 20 times the global average in Western markets, and the #BLSeries hashtag has accumulated over 20 billion views on TikTok.
“Canal+ Distribution has always been about identifying premium content before the mainstream conversation,” says León de la Barra. “Viu Originals represents just that. A library built on years of production expertise, with proven global demand and major streaming platforms already taking notice. The content understanding of Thai BL in the US is currently being built, and we intend to be at the heart of it.”
Among the catalog’s notable titles is “4 Minutes,” a 2024 series about a college student who gains the ability to see four minutes into the future. Set at St. Lawrence University in 1999, “Shadow” tells the story of a new student who suffers from recurring sleep paralysis and becomes drawn to the school’s long-hidden secrets. The anthology series Close Friend weaves romance with supernatural elements across a series of standalone stories over three installments from 2021 to 2024.
“What separates this content we’re bringing to the U.S. now and the broader BL conversation is the desire to create,” Leon de la Barra says. “Titles like ‘4 Minutes’ and ‘Shadow’ are more than genre exercises. They bring elements of science fiction, psychological thrillers, and even black magic to stories that happen to center around male romance. Their creative scope is what makes this catalog relevant beyond BL fandom.”
The 2024 12-part series “The Rebound” centers on a teenage basketball team led by two best friends, one of whom quietly grapples with his feelings for the other. “The emotional intelligence in these series creates loyalty,” she continues. “Audiences, especially women, relate to BL because it focuses on vulnerability, chemistry, and emotional complexity rather than traditional romantic tropes. ‘The Rebound’ is not a sports series, but it is actually about self-acceptance using basketball as a metaphor.”
There are three more titles in the pipeline for 2025. “Lost in the Woods” is the story of a young man who is sent into the woods after a failed scholarship bid and falls in love with an older, lonely park ranger. Anthology “4 Destiny Project” by four directors. And then there’s “Shimane’s Season of Love.”
“People ask why Thailand,” says Leon de la Barra. “The answer is that everything happened in the same direction: the impact on legislation, government investment in creative exports, and a producing community that understood earlier than most that audiences around the world were connected by the same emotions. When you look at this catalog, you’re looking at the fruits of that entire ecosystem.”
