A burning log fire: least eventful TV viewing of all time?

• Swisscom's slow TV log fire is designed to highlight its premium production values 
• The finished product should be like Swisscom TV itself – made in Switzerland and made for Switzerland. 
• And, of course, it has to be wood sourced from the Swiss Napfgebiet region. 

Tongue stuffed firmly in cheek, Swisscom has picked up on the recent ‘craze?’ for so-called slow TV with an ultra-high production value log fire video. Yes, ‘craze’ is a bit of an exaggeration, it’s more about whatever the opposite of ‘craze’ is. ‘Comatose’, perhaps.  

The promotional subtext here is clearly that Swisscom (and perhaps Switzerland in general) may be accused of being boring, but boy, do they do boring well! As the song says “Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.”

So this is a clever promo and makes the point that slow TV is all about enjoying fine detail. In the UK that has involved rural bus or canal trips - very evocative.  A crackling log fire in a snowy setting is a Swiss equivalent and will certainly be enhanced by the fine detail that ultra-high definition can bring. Included is the sound of a crackling fire -  can’t wait for the smell-o-vision upgrade.

Original press release here worth seeing. 

A burning log fire has got to be the least eventful TV viewing of all time. That being said, a blazing, crackling fire makes a pleasant change to the usual rapid cuts and frenzied sequences. This is what inspired director Michael Steiner (of “Wolkenbruch’s Wondrous Journey into the Arms of a Shiksa”, “Rascals on the Road” and “Grounding” fame) to take on the remake of the quintessential Swiss log fire, in an exclusive for Swisscom. The finished product should be like Swisscom TV itself – made in Switzerland, made for Switzerland. And, of course, it has to be wood sourced from the Swiss Napfgebiet region.

This somewhat tongue-in-cheek promotion is designed to show that, in its quest to serve its customers, even the most uninspiring programming is better with Swisscom – and that the company’s TV product is honed to the very last detail. “Füürabig is like Swisscom TV itself,” explains Markus Gisi, Head of TV Product Management & Experience Development at Swisscom. “Just like Swisscom TV, it was developed and will continue to grow in Switzerland.” He goes on to say that a number of employees across a range of units are engaged in rethinking our understanding of television and further improving the offering on an ongoing basis. “There are very specific requirements and interests at play in a multilingual country such as Switzerland. The in-house nature of our development allows us to take these into account wherever possible,” continues Gisi.

From the outset, therefore, it was a given that the very best Swiss film crew around should be put in charge of making this unique show. With “Füürabig”, the decision-makers spared no expense in producing what Gisi refers to as “the best log fire Switzerland has ever seen”, employing only the very best in camera, props and special effects experts that Switzerland has to offer. At 120 minutes in length, “Füürabig” is exclusively available to Swisscom TV customers in UHD/HDR resolution and features special effects in minute 85. That’s when viewers will see a unicorn flying into the flames. We kid you not.