Nidge and co are taking their love/hate relationships to the US for the first time, as on-demand video service Hulu has acquired the rights to RTÉ’s gangland drama ‘Love/Hate’.
American-owned Hulu, which is in direct competition with Netflix in the US, has bought seasons one and two of the gangland drama, and plans to show the first two episodes to a US audience this week. This will be followed by two episodes airing every week to a US audience.
RTÉ has also revealed that the third season of ‘Love/Hate’ has just been acquired by Australian and South Korean territories. Seasons one and two already air in Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the Middle East.
The deal marks the first drama deal between RTÉ and Hulu, which has previously shown RTÉ factual shows such as ‘Secret of the Stones’ and ‘The Man Who Shot Beckett’.
‘Love/Hate’, an Octagon Films production, is currently in its third season on RTÉ One. Last night marked the fifth episode of season three, and reached over 1 million viewers, with an average 720,600 viewers. The series has consistently been the most watched showed on the RTÉ Player, with last night’s episode streaming more than 34,000 times so far.
Last night audiences saw Darren, played by Robert Sheehan, become increasingly agitated by gang leader Nidge’s behaviour, and IRA member Dano, played by Jason Barry, get closer to the truth of his father Git’s death.
‘Love/Hate’ is now joining other popular television series that air on Hulu, such as ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.
RTÉ Drama commissioning editor Jane Gogan said of the Hulu deal: “We are delighted that ‘Love/Hate’ has been given a platform to play in the United States. It’s important that our dramas exist in the wider world and, given the phenomenal popularity of the series here in Ireland, we are confident it will strike a chord with American viewers, give access to Irish viewers in America and build a strong fan base.”
‘Love/Hate’ is written and created by Stuart Carolan and produced by Octagon Films for RTÉ, with David Caffrey directing. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Robert Sheehan, Peter Coonan, Charlie Murphy, Aoibhinn McGinnity, Jason Barry and Killian Scott all star.
Click here for an interview on ‘Love/Hate’ with Jane Gogan.
