The great moose treks across Sweden are pulling in millions of viewers looking for ‘Slow TV’.
Moose gather in clusters in the wooded areas around Kullberg, in northern Sweden. The Ångerman River poses a significant obstacle along their migration route, and here they gather at about the same time every year, just as they have for thousands of years. Some cross quickly, others take their time. Some choose to swim across, while others dip a hoof and turn back to find another route.
A 24-hour live stream has given millions of viewers front-row seats to watch every unhurried step of the journey. The Great Moose Migration is a 24-hour livestream program categorized as “slow TV,” which is live, unedited, and hours-long coverage of some routine event, usually with a theme or journey in mind.
From late April to late May, most migratory moose move from winter to summer areas. Many people believe that moose migrate between the coast and the mountains, like many reindeer, but they don’t usually go that far.
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Earlier this month, the seventh season of Den stora älgvandringen (The Great Moose Migration, also translated as The Great Elk Trek) ended after nearly three weeks of uninterrupted footage streamed via SVT Play, Sweden’s national broadcaster’s platform.
The coverage has switched camera shots between various wooded areas and the Ångerman River. Much of the footage is “mooseless” — birds, trees, and bears. But now and then, antlers peek above the water’s surface or through the trees, and their six-foot silhouettes emerge.
Most migratory moose in the north travel between 30 and 90 kilometers (the longest migration measured is 200 kilometers!). The few moose that migrate in southern Sweden move about 6 to 10 kilometers.
Since its debut in 2019, the series has grown from a niche public broadcasting experiment into a cultural phenomenon, attracting close to 9 million viewers in 2024. In a short documentary about the program, a rock musician performed a song about the moose, while a man gathered around the TV with children to watch.
“It is my equivalent of the Super Bowl,” one moose fan said. “It’s like rooting for a sports team. I don’t watch sports; I don’t like sports. I like moose.”
For female moose (cows), the spring migration tends to be pretty quick. After one to three weeks, the cow has reached the summer area where she’ll raise her calf.
“We are delighted,” said Johan Erhag, SVT’s project manager for the series. He confirmed the team has captured 478 hours of footage, with 26 remote cameras, seven night-vision ones, and a drone streaming uninterrupted footage since its launch on 15 April.
The series idea started when Johan Erhag and Stefan Edlund worked together in 2016 on a nature program that included a segment about swimming moose.
The Great Moose Trek Across Sweden, written by Tor Kjolberg
All images © SVT Play
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