They say it's the cutest and most charming show on the internet. And they're probably right. Because watching four kittens live in a giant dollhouse is adorable and heartwarming. That's what "Keeping Up With the Catdashians" offers us.
The four ARISTOCATS starring in the show are siblings and are affectionately called the Catdashians. They are also orphans. The show's mission is precisely to find them a new home. To do this, viewers are given the opportunity to see what the cats are like and how they behave, minute by minute. The goal is to soften their little hearts and encourage someone to adopt them. This process lasts between three and four weeks. When a family is found for them, new residents arrive at the dollhouse.
"Keeping Up With the Catdashians" is a project between the Icelandic cat protection society, Icelandic veterinary authorities, and the animal welfare office. Employees and volunteers from the Icelandic cat protection society care for the kittens and perform maintenance tasks for the house (cleaning, food and water supply...). This happens two to three times a day, during which the broadcast is suspended.
The cats' personalities, their actions, and their unique relationship have made this show a real success. During the first 24 hours of broadcasting, the show was shared over 3,000 times. Considering that the Icelandic population is 300,000 inhabitants... that's not bad at all. If you add to that the buzz the show is generating on social media from fans... it's clear that we're looking at a success. But most importantly: an example of innovation in promoting animal adoption.
To record the Catdashians, three GoPros are used, broadcasting 24/7. At night, cameras with night vision are used, allowing viewers to see the kittens dozing and purring.
But since a picture (or in this case a video) is worth a thousand words, we invite you to get to know the Catdashians for yourselves.
As you can see, the content broadcast is highly hypnotic for all of us who love ARISTOCATS. But that's the thing about "Sakte-TV" or slow TV: it's captivating. And our Nordic friends know it well.
In fact, it is an invention of Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK), the Norwegian public broadcaster, devised in 2009. An audiovisual concept where almost nothing ever happens. And that's what makes it innovative and attractive — especially in these fast-paced and frantic times. The content broadcast for hours on end is anti-television.
18 hours of continuous salmon fishing. Or 134 hours of uninterrupted boat travel along the coast from north to south. Tides, logging, or knitting a wool sweater. Reading the Constitution or psalms performed by choirs from all over the country. These are some examples of programming that, against all odds, is a ratings success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQChHitzzso
Its similarity to a documentary marathon and an uninterrupted timeline where nothing is edited and everything is broadcast live... do the rest. Although you never know what might happen, it's most likely that nothing will happen. The viewer, for their part, watches it like any other program or like a landscape painting in their living room. The story unfolds in their head, in their imagination. And therein lies the magic.
We trust that in the minds of the Icelanders who have met the Catdashians, an immediate future of feline happiness will be envisioned, in a real home, where they feel loved and where, if possible, they remain together, because it is clear that these four kittens have very powerful bonds with each other. We hope they find a new home very soon!