# KweliTV

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**kweliTV, Inc.** is a global [streaming service](/source/Streaming_service) and digital [media company](/source/Media_company) based in the [Washington, DC metropolitan area](/source/Washington_metropolitan_area) focused on the global [Black](/source/Black_people) experience.

In 2023, kweliTV expanded its reach by being added to the digital collections of public and academic libraries, including the Birmingham Public Library's A–Z databases.[1]

The company was incorporated in 2015 and officially launched out of beta in Fall 2017. A former journalist who has written for The [Oakland Tribune](/source/Oakland_Tribune), The [Clarion Ledger](/source/The_Clarion-Ledger) and The [Crisis Magazine](/source/The_Crisis_(magazine)) among other publications, DeShuna Elisa Spencer started kweliTV because early in her career she noticed the [connection between media images and implicit bias](https://swaay.com/media-representation-black-people-culture).[2]

The company's name is derived from the [Swahili](/source/Swahili_language) term *kweli*, which means "truth". Spencer, who serves as the company's founder and CEO, started kweliTV after winning an initial US$20,000 grant from the now-defunct [Unity Journalists](/source/UNITY_Journalists). The platform officially launched out of beta after winning first place at the Harvard Africa Business New Venture Competition and receiving its first micro-investment from TEDCO in 2017.[3] Notable supporters include Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition and [a16z](/source/A16z)’s Talent x Opportunity (TxO) accelerator.[4][unreliable source?]

kweliTV has been featured in [CNN Business](/source/CNN_Business),[5] [Fast Company](/source/Fast_Company),[6] Black Star Network, [Refinery 29](/source/Refinery29),[7] [TIME](/source/Time_(magazine)), [Emmy Magazine](/source/Emmy_Magazine),[8] [Shondaland](/source/Shondaland),[9] and more. kweliTV has been listed as one of the 10 best movie streaming services by [PC Magazine](/source/PCMag)[10] since 2020.

## References

1. ["Birmingham Public Library databases – kweliTV"](https://www.cobpl.org/virtual/databases/default.aspx?p=3&q=375). *Birmingham Public Library*. Retrieved 12 August 2025.

1. [KweliTV is Combating Implicit Bias in the Media's Representation of Black People](https://swaay.com/media-representation-black-people-culture), Swaay

1. ["kweliTV Wins Harvard Africa Business New Venture Competition"](https://samrack.com/kwelitv-wins-harvard-africa-business-new-venture-competition/). *Samrack Media*. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2025.

1. ["Meet the Talent x Opportunity Fall 2023 Cohort"](https://a16z.com/meet-the-talent-x-opportunity-fall-23-cohort/). *Andreessen Horowitz*. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2025.

1. [She was tired of seeing Black stereotypes on TV. So she started her own streaming service](https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/08/media/black-streaming-service-kwelitv-profile/index.html), CNN

1. [How KweliTV tells the Black stories that streaming giants overlook](https://www.fastcompany.com/90728547/kweli-tv-black-streaming-service), Fast Company

1. [Black-Owned KweliTV Is Bringing Authenticity & Access To Streaming](https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2022/03/10906615/deshuna-spencer-kweli-tv-black-streaming-service), Refinery29

1. [With its support of indie content creators, kweliTV projects a vast view of Black life](https://www.emmys.com/news/mix/wider-lens), Emmy Magazine

1. [How DeShuna Spencer Created a Streaming Service That Celebrates Diverse Creators](https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a36819999/deshuna-spencer-kwelitv-streaming-service/), Shondaland

1. [The Best Movie Streaming Services](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/best-movie-streaming-services), PCMag

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [KweliTV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KweliTV) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KweliTV?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.