When moose cross the screen: Fostering human–nature connections through a Swedish Slow TV nature broadcast

With direct experiences of nature declining due to urbanisation, technology‐mediated encounters may offer alternative ways to foster human–nature connections. This study investigates how Den Stora Älgvandringen (The Great Moose Migration, TGMM), a Swedish Slow TV programme live‐streaming moose migration, influences viewers' experiences of nature and human–nature relationships. Specifically, it explores the types of mediated nature experiences viewers have while watching TGMM, their motivations for engaging with the programme and how these motivations relate to their connectedness with nature. We employed a mixed‐methods approach involving an online survey completed by 2011 respondents. The survey included demographic questions, the Humans and Nature (HaN) scale, the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) scale and questions about viewers' experiences. Our findings show TGMM offers restorative, immersive experiences that foster emotional connectedness and ecological curiosity, with key themes of appreciating natural sounds, experiencing nature at its own pace and feelings of connectedness and nostalgia. Using HaN and INS scales, we found strong associations between nature connectedness, direct nature experience frequency and environmental concern. TGMM serves as a digital connection to nature and a community platform, providing an unfiltered, real‐time portrayal of wildlife that deeply resonates with viewers. While these experiences cannot replace direct nature contact, they play a valuable role in promoting conservation attitudes and fostering human–nature connectedness, especially for those with limited access to nature. These findings highlight the potential of Slow TV and similar media to inspire emotional and cognitive engagement with nature, with implications for biodiversity conservation and environmental education. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.