Live Broadcast of Norwegian Hurtigruten Cruise Voyage Sets Ratings Record

Norwegians oohed and aahed as Hurtigruten’s cruise ship, the MS NordNorge, completed its 1,500-mile voyage through the icy blue waters of northern Europe’s Norwegian Sea this Wednesday. The fjord trip, entitled “Hurtigruten – Minute by Minute,” was broadcast live from June 16 to June 22 by Norway’s NRK TV station for a straight 134 hours and watched by a whopping 2.54 million Norwegians (over half of the country’s population!). Rune Moeklebust, project leader for the program at NRK, said his team wanted to convey the six-night journey in a way that would make its viewers feel like they were onboard the ship, which departed from Bergen in southwest Norway and finished at Kirkenes near the Russian border. The cruise line has been sailing the Norwegian coast since 1983. Similar voyages will be held year-round; rates start from $914/person. www.hurtigruten.com