The RTÉ Player team share their top picks to watch on RTÉ Player this week.
What’s Trending?
It’s the moment we have all been waiting for! The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest Final from Lisbon’s Altice Arena will be available to watch live and on demand on RTÉ Player from Saturday, 12th May. This year marks Marty Whelan’s 20th year in the commentary box for RTÉ and what a year it will be with Ireland making it to the final stages for the first time since 2013! The Eurovision Song Contest was established in 1956 and has taken place annually ever since. What started as an experiment, primarily followed by a radio audience, grew to become the world’s longest running and most popular music competition, attracting over 200 million people from Europe and around the world. Go to RTÉ Player now for a recap on the finalists including Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s performance that is making headlines around the world and reminisce on last years’ winning performance of ‘Amar Pelos Dois’ from Portugals Salvador Sobral. The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 will be available to watch live and on-demand on RTÉ Player for free worldwide where viewers can watch the entire show or clips of individual performance from the semi finals and the final. Go to RTÉ Player now for the Eurovision Collection.
What’s New?
Brand new to RTÉ Player, First World Problems is brought to you by 2FM Presenter, Chris Greene and self confessed ‘content messer’ Peter Ganley as they take a swipe at traditional media, social media and the ungrateful gremlins who consume it. Available to watch exclusively on RTÉ Player, get a ‘tongue in cheek’ take on news reports from around the world, soul destroying consumer ads, awe-inducing viral videos and a streaming pile of content in the pilot episode of First World Problems. This is the latest show to land on RTÉ Player sitting alongside other new online only exclusives such as The Doireann Project with Doireann Garrihy and Recipes for Actual Real Life with Sophie White. Watch First World Problems now on RTÉ Player.
What Not to Miss?
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story profiles spree-killer Andrew Cunanan, whose cross-country path of destruction earns him a spot on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List, before his murder of international fashion icon Gianni Versace on the steps of Versace’s South Beach residence in 1997. Based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth, the series examines how cultural homophobia and prejudice delayed law enforcement’s search for Cunanan, as well as Versace’s relationship with his sister and muse Donatella. The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is a story of failed ambition, about how the pursuit of an “American Dream” ended in murder and suicide. Starring Edgar Ramírez as Gianni Versace, Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, Ricky Martin as Antonio D’Amico and Penélope Cruz as Donatella Versace, catch the first two episodes of The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story on RTÉ Player now!
Pick of the Week
Niall Horan with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The special one-off show sees the singer-songwriter and his band joined by 45 members of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra as they perform a selection of songs from Niall’s debut solo No.1 album ‘Flicker’, with special arrangements by conductor Gavin Murphy. The musical treat was recorded in RTÉ iconic Radio Studio 1 last month and features an exclusive interview with Niall by 2FM’s Eoghan McDermott. Niall Horan says: ‘I made an album that came from the heart, my heart is in Ireland and I feel that there’s no better way than to go on national television and play those songs with a 45-piece orchestra – and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the best in Europe, if not the world. Catch Niall Horan with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on RTÉ Player live and on demand from Saturday, 12th May, 6.55pm