Travel preps US ‘slow TV’ roadtrip

Travel Channel is taking the ‘Slow TV’ concept to the US after agreeing to remake a format that was created and first broadcast on Norway’s NRK.

Slow Road Live will take viewers on a 12-hour roadtrip, with the route yet to be revealed. It is being produced by LMNO Cable Group, which picked up the format from UK-based distributor DRG in 2013.

The show is based on NRK’s Slow TV format and will follow a caravan on “a serene and captivating journey,” airing on Friday, November 27 at 21:00ET – the same day as US retailers’ Black Friday.

“While everyone else is out hustling and bustling to get the latest deals on Black Friday, we’re giving our viewers a chance to unwind with 12 hours of reality in real time,” said Ross Babbit, senior vice president of programming and development at Travel Channel.

Viewers can get more involved by participating and discussing the event “in real-time with a robust second-screen and social media production” accompanying the show.

The slow TV concept has spread around the world, with BBC4 in the UK recently ordering a season of shows dedicated to programming filmed in real time.

Past examples from NRK have included five-day coverage of a cruise trip around the Norwegian coast, 18 hours of salmon fishing, 12 hours of wood-burning and, most recently, a knitting marathon.