A new streaming platform offers a trove of Inuit content on demand

Inuit Broadcasting Corp. and Qiniq are partnering to host nearly 100 videos on Qview.

A new media streaming platform called Qview is bringing northern content to people across the country.

Launching Tuesday on National Indigenous Peoples Day, Qview houses close to 100 videos from the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation.

The service is similar to YouTube but in Inuktitut, said Manitok Thompson, IBC’s executive director.

“It’s so exciting. I’m so excited,” she said.

The platform is streamed through internet service provider Qiniq’s data center in Ottawa and hosted through a partnership between Qiniq and SSi Canada, which services remote areas.

The project has been in the works for just under a year but was stalled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thompson said.

Programming will include children’s shows, Inuit Broadcasting Corp. archives, live shows and new programs.

“Schools will be able to access children’s shows,” she said.

“It’s really going to give a foundation to Inuit children.”

The broadcasting corporation’s archival footage, which spans four decades, is in all dialects of Inuktut and is shot and produced by Inuit.

New content will be uploaded to the platform every week, including live-streaming and the ability for the audience to message and interact live with hosts.

“These are real-life people talking from the Inuit perspective,” Thompson said.

The site also allows elders in southern Canada to watch Inuit programming, which Thompson said could help alleviate loneliness.

The goal is to eventually have Qview servers in all of Nunavut’s communities. According to Qview, people would be able to access content by connecting directly to their community’s servers.

The platform can be accessed through qview.ssicanada.com.

People can also purchase USBs with videos loaded onto them for $30, which allows users to watch without internet.