WildEarth has been working hard on our mission of connecting more and more people with nature while keeping our promise that our broadcasts will remain free to watch. This is why we had to introduce advertising into our safaris and our channel as it has proven to be the only way to make our business sustainable and keep that promise.
We have learned over the past years that it is not possible to deliver advertising in a meaningful way on social media platforms like YouTube, Twitch or Facebook. As long as there are platforms where content can be watched without advertising, that is where many people will go to watch. The presence of our daily safaris on those platforms is drawing people away from other places where we can use advertising to generate the necessary revenue to become sustainable.
Therefore, as shared by Graham in a town hall session some months ago, we will need to move away from those platforms, while providing other places to watch for free, but with the advertising necessary for us to keep going. We have now reached that point in time.
We appreciate that moving to other places to watch, and chat, from what you might be used to is not a pleasant thing to do and we will work with you to make it as easy as possible, but it is necessary for the continuation of the live safaris.
On the positive side, on the new viewing platforms, the WildEarth channel is available 24/7, including Penguin Beach, the safari repeats, our Escape to Nature content, and soon reshowings of some of the greatest old safaris as part of ‘Best of safariLIVE’ programming.
From this coming Wednesday, December 8th, we will start this transition by reducing the safari broadcasts on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch to only the first hour of each safari. The full safaris, and the rest of the channel, can be viewed on many other platforms, including on wildearth.tv, already from today so you will have some time to check these out and see which option works best for you. To find out where you can watch, we encourage you to go to wildearth.tv/channel.
As part of this change, we will also make it possible to, from December 8th, watch recordings of safaris, and Penguin Beach, at a time that suits you on our various apps.
If you have any questions with regards to this transition of viewing or chat, please share them with us through the Help button on the wildearth.tv website, or by writing to
Love love love WE..sure things are different, but those who wish to will adjust.. been a supporter for many years and will continue to do so.. Change is hard but the option of no WE is not an option for me..
God bless and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Good Morning! Just want to say, than you for bringing the bush live every morning to us! My wife and i, are bush lovers of note and she cannot start her day without watching Wild Earth every single morning! You are part of our family and we watch Wild Earth even if we have guests, tv is on channel 183!
Thank you for all you do!
We have places in Mjejane and cannot wait to get there end of January 2022.
Thanks so much for your kind words, we hope you have a great 2022. The WE team.
I’m completely disappointed and really sad. I’m loosing my “ wild family” and companions, since the “World closed” 2 yrs ago …
As some other comments above I can say …
No one has 7 hours a day to sit in front of the TV , I even haven’t a TV / Channels suitable for that, at the certain time of the day and watch live . We need to see it when possible and forward through the shows. The app does not tell you which day is showing nor can you fast forward. We really can’t follow the scene missed in the morning or just see how are the cubs today. We can’t follow anymore “our wild family “ . If i’m Wrong , please help me.
Like this, if I can’t see sunrise/sunset safaris daily, following the scenes as I want, whenever is possible on decent GMT time, I don’t need to pay to be an explorer and i’m Considering to give it up.
I’m sad, it will be very bad for me but it’s your business … and we can’t do nothing against the power of money !
Peter, I am very happy & pleased to say that todays sunrise drive was in when I checked the recording page early this morning around 6am ET. From your fave old nag who persisted in complaining to you. Got to love you for getting drives into recording in a timely manner
I used to be able to see my scanIse and sunset at night (here in Portugal at 11.00 PM)….I got registered at Wildearth .tv/..but please help me ….how can I continue seeing on the same day the sunrise and sunset…..????
We had been accessing YouTube and Wildearth through our TV – but now cannot figure out how to access the new channel – we’re gone through our settings – etc. Can you please share directions for viewing on a SmartTV? Thanks
When I get the opportunity to watch Live I go to the WildEarth app on ROKU. Since the change I have missed so much content. I would begin my day by watching the Sunrise Safari through YouTube. I am in the USA so it runs in the middle of the night here. I was able to fast forward through segments that did not interest me and also pause when necessary. By doing this I was frequently unable to watch the Sunset Safari at the scheduled start time. I would tune in late and rewind to watch from the beginning. I was able to watch while still doing my routine things at home. As it stands now I watch parts of the Sunset Safari first because it is not available to watch the repeat on the app until much later. Occasionally I watch the repeat of the Sunrise Safari but this breaks up the storyline. Like they say “old news”.
I am sure this post is terribly confusing but that is my point. To watch in a cohesive way is not only confusing but immensely inconvenient. I have missed so much that I am not sure I will even continue watching. Obviously I am extremely disappointed.
I like to watch the sunrise drive from an hour after it finishes. This morning the full recording was not available anywhere. Feeling let down.
I never thought I would see a day where I would be without my medicine, the safari’s. I have been here since 2008 or 9 and hav done all I could when they would stop an start to do my part to help keep them going. When the whole explorer stage came to be, well that was not a positive for me n many ways. The book was a total negative. After many attempts of buying thru the site and then emails with someone, well let’s just say I never got a book. The format changes have been not only hard to keep up with but not very entertaining. To leave a leopard site to go listen to a boring insect or plant session, although I do like learning them, well it was a turn off for sure. We have said goodbye to our favorite entertaining guides and now have to give up ways we watch. I can’t remember when I have been so torn by losing such a vital part of my life. Even my workers, therapists and counselors have made it a significant area of discussion. Was like an addiction I am now trying to recover from. I am sorry this sounds so negative but I believe in sharing my views to give a broader perspective for improvement and hearing even the negative is needed for that. I thought this was began to bring knowledge of the animals and landscape of Africa to the world but like everything else it seems to be more about something else. I may try and check in every now and then. But I have and will dearly miss what was the most important, helpful and healthy 6 hours had in my day. Best of luck and I hope you find everything you want in your venture.
I would like to have a way to hide the chat during the watching on the website like i could on youtube or twitch. I sometimes use your streams (reruns and live) to fall asleep to because they are so calming. The chat would be too distracting in that regard, and there are less advertisements (and all the adverts on the tv are irrelevant to the wildlife on my TV) watching here than through my Sharp Roku TV.
Can we get an honest answer as to why this complicated, inconvenient and terrible switch was made.
Chat is full of explorers who are unhappy and disillusioned. I am one of them.
So why?
I agree with all of the above! It’s disappointing that it’s changed so much😔
I have read these comments and would also like to know whether I will be able to pause/scroll/rewind as I am not able to watch the 3 hours consistently. PLEASE can you help there, as this is my only link to the South African bush and wildlife I am missing so much now that I live in New Zealand.
I am devastated that you are no longer putting the live safaris on You Tube, they have been a life saver during this Covid crisis, imaging you are on the vehicle with the guide and losing yourself in the bush is magical. As we can no longer come in person to Kruger the large TV screen is so much better than on an iPad. We will miss all the leopards whom we now know by name, Mrs Wig and Twiglet and what is happening at the Hyena den? None of the TV channels etc that you have given are to be found on my U.K. TV so I will probably have to resign myself that your safaris are a thing of the past, shame!
Silly question… My fmaily watch on our media box via YouTube. You mention other streaming services… Such as? Android TV doesn’t have a web browser to watch via the website.
I need to look at the other options to view on my tv, but need to know what they are?
This is very unfortunate. Watching 3 hours+ on my phone or Ipad is not something I will be doing. I like to watch on my TV, using YouTube or Twitch. I’ve supported WE through a lot of their challenges the last 2-3 years, but this decision baffles me. I am not getting a ROKU or FireTV just so I can continue to watch the safaris. Best of luck to WE and your great team there. I wish you all well.
I just found out today about this transition. There is no option for me to watch anymore . I have Xbox consoles on both TV’s that I use to watch the safari drives on Twitch. I am not going to buy additional devices just to watch WE. It was good while it lasted. Thanks for leaving some of us out in the cold.
how do you fast forward, pause, rewind? I can’t watch every minute and often speed through some sections – but I can’t figure out how to do that on your tv channel.
This is very confusing. All I want to do is watch the sunrise safari of 9.12.2021 but I cannot see how to do that!
I can watch live broadcasts via the channel on my laptop, phone, and kindle, but with only livestream & no capabilities of pausing or rewinding (like, to get a screen capture) and no capability of watching the safaris other than in the middle of the night and/or for 7 hours a day.
These safaris/safari recording literally saved my life during the lockdown and now I and thousands of others can’t view them. Really brokenhearted.
I understand the issue but I’m still confused. I have the wild earth app are we able to watch on that. I am
It’s all kind of confusing about which is the best way to watch this. I am registered now and watched it on the website which seem to work. I can’t watch it at work anymore which I could do with YouTube. But what concerns me is it recently I’ve noticed how many interruptions there are for your advertisements. I’m OK to pay a monthly fee but not if there’s going to be advertisements in the middle of the Safaris. Cable started out to be free with no ads and now it is constant ads. Please let us know what your plan is and vision is for your stations.
Wll the app ever be available for laptops? I can get it on my tablet but too small of a screen to watch replays.
Watching since Safari Diaries at Thornbush with Tara, the barefoot professor it was the beginning of all this. I would like to have the option of return and fast forward but if not possible is ok. My biggest ❓❓❓ is what will happen to the Dam cam live. If Wild Earth cannot continue an African take over like they did with the other live cam sites couple years ago when WE handle the the sites because they couldn’t maintaining them. Africam has done a great job I know because I am a subscriber to most of them.
So sorry you have stopped me from my major source of entertainment, living alone I have become so dependent on the daily safaris for comfort and companionship. Bye
Well, this is sad sad news for me. You see I am not able to watch the morning (sunrise drives) LIVE, as my house hold morning routine keep me away. but I was always happen to catchup later in the day… NOW I learn that I am no longer going to be able to watch on youtube. But that older streams are only going to be available on a app on my phone?? I’m sorry on my phone? Realy on the tiny little screen off my phone, Come on, Meh cough!!! Well thats the story off our life’s all good things comes to an end.
I watched the sunrise Dec 6th safari on your WE website. After fiddling with a fir a few minutes I figured everything out. I did enjoy it! The pucture quality was much better then on YT and the buffering way, way less! Only suggestion is the chat feed. (I don’t care much because I am seldom in chat) I like to watch in the “portrait” mode and in doing so I couldn’t see chat. So to make a comment I had to change from portrait to regular screen. I don’t have a TV. I don’t have a computer. My phone is the only device I watch anything on. And U am very happy your WE website is going to allow me to continue “bumbling” with WE. I am addicted. Thank you!!!
As you can tell, my fat fingers hit the wrong keys often. :)
How will this affect past safaris? Can we still watch archived drives on YouTube? What about watching January 2022 drives in March 2022?
I am so disappointed, and heartbroken. I have supported safariLIVE and WildEarth as best I could.
I am disabled, and having the ability to move back and forth in the broadcast is necessary for me. I try to watch live, but most often I am watching after the fact.
I am really upset. I, like so many others, have become quite attached to so many characters, invested in their lives since their birth.
I don’t have a problem with the need for making money. Commercials are a necessary evil.
I wish the all-or-nothing model wasn’t the only option.
You’ve ruined it. I used to watch on my PC via Youtube but the only way I can watch it now is direct from the Wild Earth website but the distraction of the messages and sounds of the chat box makes it impossible. Going to full screen makes it too cumbersome to switch in & out of other tasks. Bye Bye Wild Earth.
Such an amazing service that you provide…having this window for the rest of the world.
I have been watching on and off for years, and will continue to watch and support you.
The changes make sense…all of this work and these broadcasts aren’t free to put on…best of luck and continued success to the whole team!
This is all upsetting to realize I won’t be able to watch the replays when I can including pausing, fast forward and rewinding when needed. I have been watching drives since 2014 and have been through many of your changes, good and not so good, but have stayed anyway. I can’t watch live drives so I rely on replays. I will watch replays on your TV channel when I can however I really need the pause, fast forward and rewind. I hope you can get those working since I can’t always sit for the whole drive.
This is such sad news, too bad WildEarth.
I understand that WildEarth needs revenue to fund it all, but that should be quite possible.
I found you via a tweet from Twitch and only watch on Twitch. WildEarth has partner status there, have you tried talking to Twitch?
“As long as there are platforms where content can be watched without advertising, that is where many people will go to watch.”
Why don’t you play ads via Twitch (one click) or let us sign up for a paid sub via Twitch to support you? Maybe even run the stream sub-only then? Is this really not an alternative for WildEarth?
For me this makes Tuesday the last day WildEarth, the app is just not a real alternative.
Anyway, I wish you all the best for the future with this step. <3
I have the same question as Valerie and Lisa. Could you please comment on it. Thank you so much Peter.
I live in Australia and although I have installed the WildEarth app I need to be able to watch a replay of the daily safaris duee to the time difference of Africa and Australia. Please advise how the app can be used to replay the daily broadcasts.
Swings and roundabouts but looks like I will have to leave and not be an Explorer any more.
Very sad day for me.
Your explanation of changes is not detailed enough .You need to describe in better detail of how and where to view and how it will be different than you tube. You should of explained in point to point detail. You left this to the moderators and this isn’t their job.
.
Youtube, Facebook and Twitch are all excellent ways of broadcasting ur content. I sincerely do not believe that migrating to other platforms will benefit or aid your cause. The results will be devastating; 50-75% viewer drop. I had a fun and exciting time following WE, I’ve watched your safaris everyday for years now and I can only just say I’m gonna miss WE in the future. <\3
Mistake to move away from easily accessible platforms.
As an advertising professional, I have a few comments… 1) since you are taking away something (viewers’ time from the wildlife), you need to add extra value in another way to compensate, and give viewers a reason to watch the “commercial” channel. 2) you will lose viewers -that’s a given – and they will not return, as they already know they do not like the new format and will find other avenues to watch wildlife shows. 3) you seem to underestimate the importance of being able to live chat while watching… for many, many people, this interaction is almost as important as the show content …it’s almost like breaking up a family. By the way, we have been watching you for almost 5 years.
Will the ads be for sodas, cereals, cars, swanky jewelry and clothing?
I’m chocking up right now. I’ve been a daily member of the WildEarth community – family – since Marc, Pieter, & Tara & Teddy the baby hyena. How many years ago was that?
Guess what go me through cancer during the pandemic. So I’m more than choked up right now. Feels like an old friend is dying.
If less viewership is your goal that will happen
I am a bit confused. Please explain………I am an explorer, so I can watch live safaris, yes? Can I also watch past safaris? Most of the time I am not able to watch live, but I go to the most current safari that occurred and watch it at my leisure. Will I be able to do that on WildEarth.tv?
Hi Valerie, yes that will be possible.
We won’t be able to fast forward now. No one has 7 hours a day to sit in front of the TV and watch live or recorded if we can’t fast forward through the shows. The app does not tell you which day is showing nor can you fast forward. That is a problem!
none of the TV App’s you list are available thru my cable/streaming service provider. I only started watching the safari drives because I was able to do so on YouTube on my TV. I guess I’ll just have to get updates now thru my facebook groups.
I dont have phone and also dont have smart TV so I wont be an explorer anymore either. Will need to cancel.
Hi Ann, if none of those options work for you, there is also the option to watch on the website. You can find out more on this on the Channel page on our site.
I just want to ask: will you be adding a way to pause/rewind the drives/penguin beach onto the apps and channel?
One reason that I still often watch on YT is that I can stop and start the drive as needed and rewind to catch things that I have missed. I will really miss having that ability when I watch in the app (which I do when I know that I can fully immerse myself at that moment). Is that now going to be impossible to do?
I am not able to watch during the live safari so now I won’t be able to watch; therefore I don’t need to be an Explorer anymore.
Agreed – I am in the same position……
Sadly, nothing is forever. I will miss it.