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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A livestream featuring sea life in the South Atlantic has Argentines hooked, showcasing the public’s latest interest in a new fad called "slow TV."
Livestream of deep sea creatures goes viral
The livestream featured transparent-faced fish drifting through dusky waters with only occasional mutters among marine biologists breaking the thick silence.
The researchers behind the vehicle filming life-forms 13,000 feet undersea told The Associated Press on Monday that they never expected their deep-sea expedition to become such a social media sensation.
What they're saying:
"It was a huge surprise for us," said expedition leader Daniel Lauretta. "It’s something that fills our hearts because we want to spread the word."
The video feed has attracted more than 1.6 million views a day on YouTube, dominated TV news broadcasts.
Other ‘slow TV’ livestreams go viral
Dig deeper:
In April, a livestream in Sweden called "Den stora älgvandringe," which features the country’s annual moose migration streamed to millions of viewers.
FILE: Underwater image of fish at the North Seymour Island dive site in the Galapagos archipelago, Ecuador, taken on March 8, 2024. Note: This image was not part of the live stream. (Credit: ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
RELATED: The 'Great Moose Migration': Millions tune in for Sweden's epic livestream
In the Netherlands, Utrecht’s "fish doorbell" cam enlisted help from those watching to "ring a doorbell" that signals authorities to open up a river lock to help fish migrate.
The doorbell helps protect fish like bream, pike, and bass from predators by preventing them from getting stuck behind the lock. The project, in its fifth year, has also attracted millions of viewers.
What is ‘slow TV’ fad?
The backstory:
According to the website Scandinavian Standard, the term "slow television" or "Slow TV," is the term used to describe marathon coverage of an event, typically shown in real-time.
The genre was first popularized in 2009, after the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) broadcast a 7-hour train journey.
What they're saying:
"The concept of Slow TV is to show something at the rate it is experienced, as opposed to the speed with which a narrative drama is told," according to the website. "There is no editing or script, as it’s built around transition and movement instead of tension and plot."
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: This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press, previous FOX Local reporting contributed.