The 'Great Moose Migration': Millions tune in for Sweden's epic livestream
Photos from "Den stora Älgvandringen, or "The Great Elk Trek" in English (ANDERS STRÖMQUIS/SVT/Sveriges Television)
A livestream of a wild animal wonder in Sweden is once again captivating the internet.
Called "Den stora älgvandringen," the country’s TV production of their annual moose migration began this week and is available to stream anywhere in the world.
"Great moose migration"
The backstory:
This time of year, dozens of moose in Sweden swim across the Ångerman River, some 187 miles northwest of Stockholm, heading toward summer grazing pastures.
Photos from "Den stora Älgvandringen, or "The Great Elk Trek" in English (ANDERS STRÖMQUIS/SVT/Sveriges Television)
The moose have walked the route for thousands of years, making it easy for the crew to know where to lay almost 12 miles of cable and position 26 remote cameras and seven night cameras. A drone is also used.
Moose cam
The backstory:
The show began streaming in 2019 with nearly a million people watching. Last year, the production hit 9 million viewers on SVT Play, the streaming platform for national broadcaster SVT.
The crew of up to 15 people works out of SVT’s control room in Umeå, producing the show at a distance to avoid interfering with the migration.
Where to watch:
The livestream will be up for 24 hours a day for the next 20 days, and can be watched online here.
Dig deeper:
The livestream kicked off a week ahead of schedule this year due to warm weather and early moose movement.
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‘Fish doorbell’ cam
The moose migration isn’t the only wild nature phenomenon to spawn a dedicated audience.
In the Netherlands, Utrecht’s "fish doorbell" cam enlists help from those watching to "ring a doorbell" that signals authorities to open up a river lock to help fish migrate.
Big picture view:
The doorbell helps protect fish like bream, pike, and bass from predators by preventing them from getting stuck behind the lock.
The project, now in its fifth year, has also attracted millions of viewers.
Where to watch:
The livestream is expected to run through late May, and can be watched online here.
READ MORE: This 'fish doorbell' cam from the Netherlands is attracting millions
What is "slow TV?"
The livestream of the moose migration and the fish doorbell cam are examples of slow TV.
Slow TV is a genre of a television or streaming production that makes available a long, uninterrupted broadcast of ordinary events, typically in real-time.
The backstory:
It first became popularized in 2009 when Norway’s public broadcaster aired every minute of a seven-hour train trip across the southern part of the country.
What they're saying:
Annette Hill, a professor of media and communications at Jönköping University in Sweden, told The Associated Press slow TV has roots in reality television but lacks the staging and therefore feels more authentic for viewers.
Why you should care:
In a stressful, busy, fast-paced world, slow TV can help viewers relax as they watch the journal unfold without any high stakes. Those who work with the moose production say it has helped bring down their stress levels.
Slow TV can also build a shared community.
SVT’s app will send a push alert when moose are on camera, immediately driving a spike in viewership and chat commenters. Thousands of people will suddenly find themselves doing the same thing – admiring and cheering on one of nature’s wonders.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from SVT, Sweden’s national TV broadcaster. Background information was taken from The Associated Press, which spoke to people around Sweden and at SVT. This story was reported from Detroit.