Foreign media take notice of Yle’s puppy livestream

Yle’s puppy livestream has attracted interest from several international media outlets during its sixth season, the Finnish broadcaster reported.

The Times and the Daily Mail have called the programme “Big Brother for dogs”. It follows puppies from their first days until they are ready to leave their mother, at about eight weeks old. This season focuses on Hilkka, a Lagotto Romagnolo, and her puppies.

The Daily Mail described the show as a feel-good alternative to reality television and said Hilkka and her puppies had delighted millions of viewers in Finland this year. Yle journalist Pirjo Koskinen, who developed the programme’s concept, said the BBC and CNN had also asked about how it began, why it became so popular and how many people watch it.

The programme was first streamed on Yle Areena in 2021 and has been broadcast annually since. Its format has been sold to the Netherlands, and the sixth season has also reached viewers in Sweden through a programme exchange.

Koskinen said the latest interest from abroad may have come through Yle’s English-language news and Nordic correspondents working for other media. She added that the show offers a counterpoint to a stream of troubling news, and that puppies appeal beyond Finland.

The sixth season began on October 6. The programme is available on Yle Areena, Yle.fi and the Yle app.