Slow TV: Millions expected to watch these mammals on the move in Sweden “I don’t like sports. I like moose”
Starting six years ago, an annual migration has been broadcast live on Sweden’s public television which has now gained a worldwide following of millions.
Today’s life can be very fast-paced and stressful. Seeking calm by turning on the television you risk being saturated by depressing news stories or frivolous programming. But there is now an alternative that has attracted a global audience in the millions.
Since 2019, the Swedish public broadcasting service, Svergies Television (SVT), has been airing live 24-hours a day for several weeks each spring ’Den Stora Älgvandringen’ (The Great Moose Migration). Jonhan Erlag, project manager at SVT told CBS News that this “slow TV” program with its “mediative feeling” is the future of TV.
“It is my equivalent of the Super Bowl”
The Great Moose Migration, which typically runs from late April to late May, kicked off a week ahead of schedule this year due to warmer weather. It tracks several hundred moose as they move from where they spend their winters to the summer grazing grounds where they give birth to calves.
While the moose are the main attraction of the broadcast as they trek through forests and cross the Ångerman River in northern Sweden, there are stretches throughout the day without the six-foot creatures. But viewers still tune in just to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
“It’s unbelievably relaxing. There’s the natural sounds of the birds, the wind, the trees. It gives you a sense that you’re in nature even if you’re not,” Cait Borjesson told the BBC. She treats the program “like therapy” and even schedules time off work to fully immerse herself.
In an SVT documentary about The Great Moose Migration, one fan of the show said, “It is my equivalent of the Super Bowl. It’s like rooting for a sports team. I don’t watch sports, I don’t like sports. I like moose.”
The Great Moose Migration expanding the slow TV genre
The slow TV movement began in 2009 with a seven-hour live train journey between Bergen and Oslo broadcast by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). Since then the genre has gained popularity and NRK has created at least another 30 slow TV programs.
However, The Great Moose Migration brought something new to the genre. Instead of a one-off broadcast, the moose’s journey has been live streamed each year since 2019. “I really like what they’ve achieved in Sweden – establishing a tradition and an expectation among the audience,” said Thomas Hellum, a producer at NRK who was one of the pioneers of the slow TV movement, speaking to NPR.
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