The hottest new reality show of the season doesn't feature a Kardashian or a get-rich game show contestant. No, it's a livestream about moose. That's right, let me introduce you to the Swedish livestream called The Great Moose Migration.
The company behind the show calls it "reality TV at its finest." And I have to agree. Locals refer to it as "Den stora älgvandringen," but it's become popular throughout the internet. There's a bit for everyone to love. You get the calmness and tranquility of nature, but also the violence and unpredictability of, well, nature.
I saw buzzards picking apart an animal carcass, and a moose chilling in the forest. And that was just from a quick glance. With 30 cameras capturing the Arctic moose crossing, you never know what you might glance at during the 24/7 stream. "There are a lot of moose about," producer Stefan Edlund told Swedish public broadcaster SVT. "They're waiting for us. We've had to adjust. But it should be OK."
Moose Livestream
They're filming in Sweden's remote High Coast region. More than 9 million people tuned to the livestream. Ulla Malmgren says she's made it part of her daily watch.
"Sleep? Forget it. I don't sleep," she told Swedish outlet SVT. Meanwhile, William Garp Liljefors says he watches the moose 24/7. "I feel relaxed, but at the same time I'm like, 'Oh, there's a moose. Oh, what if there's a moose? I can't go to the toilet!" he told reporters.
The livestream has even caught the attention of college professors.
"It becomes, in a strange way, gripping, because nothing catastrophic is happening, nothing spectacular is happening," said Annette Hill, a professor of media and communications at Sweden's Jönköping University. "But something very beautiful is happening in that minute-by-minute moment."
"Just when did we come to accept that television should be this accelerated, busy, intense, in-your-face thing?" also asked Espen Ytreberg, a professor of media studies at the University of Oslo."But at some point, that became the norm."
I have to agree that it's pretty tranquil. It's a good way to get nature while indoors. Check out The Great Moose Migration for free at svtplay.se.
