squidtv.net

A recent trend amongst people is to watch television channels for free using IPTV websites. With many IPTV websites available across the internet, you no longer have to spend hours searching for the content you want to watch. Previously, we would enter a specific keyword and end up on phishing websites. Disgusted by the ads and misclicks, we would bounce off that website very quickly. However, nowadays, with reliable free IPTV websites such as Squid TV, we have one of the most trustworthy websites to consume content.

What is Squid TV?

Squid TV is a website that provides users access to a large number of channels from around the world. It is an aggregator website where users can find many free-to-air channels as well as premium channels that are generally paid for. Squid TV allows users to access over 1000 channels from each and every country. From Al Magharibia TV in Algeria to ZBC TV in Zimbabwe, users can watch news, science, music, ethnic, entertainment, sports, shopping and religious channels for free.

Why should you stream on Squid TV?

One of the most attractive features of IPTV websites is that they are loaded with content from top to bottom. You can find a wide range of live programming from different genres in each genre. In each genre, you can browse based on the location and choose from over 1,000+ channels. For instance, if you are in the US but want to watch BBC News, you can do so by selecting the channel using the location or content classification menu.

In-depth categorization

Developer efforts to make Squid TV content accessible and consumable to its audience is commendable. On Squid TV, users can clearly witness the developer's efforts to simplify the categories so that users can find content with relative ease. You can choose from a wide range of categories such as News, Scientific & Education, Music, Ethnic, Entertainment, Religion, Sports & Recreation, and Shopping.

Dual language options

I believe that Squid TV is based in Japan. This is the reason why you can browse the website in English and Japanese. I feel that in the future, they will add more languages because much of the population is not well-versed in both English and Japanese. However, as of now, having two language options speaks volumes about their efforts to offer more than their competitors.

Diversification via geographic location

Yet again, developers' efforts to enhance the user experience is visible through this feature. Not only can you select the country but also the state. For instance, you might want to watch a news channel WRDE-TV from Delaware, the United States, by selecting the country first followed by the region.

Decent streaming quality

The website has a large number of advertisements, but their effects only last until you find the content. Once you start streaming, there are few to no lagging issues and the stream is steady, given you have a good internet speed.

How to access Squid TV?

To access Squid TV, you can either type the keyword "Squid TV" into a search engine or use the following link: Squid TV. You can find six main options under the initial results - USA, Americas, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Upon clicking on any of the options, you'll be directed to a specific page with content from that region.

Design

The website for Squid TV seems to lack some elements that would need to be present in order for me to provide a positive review. Specifically, the website needs to have a stable design that makes sense overall, and it needs to have functionality that is justified by the design. In addition, I will discuss why I feel the website's design doesn't meet these standards below.

Header

The header section is one of the first elements you see on a website when you land on it. However, Squid TV's header section is just a logo on the left and a search bar on the right. I know that many premium streaming services opt for this design, but in Squid TV, there's no contrast or background color which can make the minimalistic header stand out.

Hero Section

In terms of design, the Hero Section has a pretty outdated and generic look. This is where the website starts to show its age. The website's Hero Section features livelier content and a more messy appearance. There is a GDN banner right before the content begins, and different locations are present in a vertical category which has different continents in different colors. On the right, under the What's New section, you have a list of countries and upon clicking them, you can access the channels from those countries. The website's design is pretty outdated and generic in this area, with a look that started showing its age long ago.

Body

You can find two ad banners in the center of the page: a leaderboard ad and a 336×280 ad. As you scroll farther down, you can find the Editor's Picks section, which features some of the top channels from around the world. Towards the left of the page, you can find an alphabetical list of all the countries available on the website. As you move down the page, you will find social plugs on the left - Facebook, Twitter, and Search. Adjacent to it are the continued list of channels picked by the editor. Under that section, you have two ads of similar size covering both the sections.

You find the "Search by Region" option on the right. But this isn't always searched by region - for example, there's an option called "News" alongside New York, Florida, Missouri, Louisiana and more under the United States. This may be an error or a sign of slacking on the design side. If you thought that was enough, right below this section there are two more ads to hinder your streaming experience.

Footer

At least, the footer on Squid TV has a gradient which makes it look decent. There are five main options - Site Map, Alphabetical List, English, Japanese, and Contact Us.

Inner Pages

Inner Pages in terms of layout follow the same pattern as the homepage. The only difference here is that you can bypass the GDN banners by clicking on any of those content categories. There are five different rows helping you find the content based upon the location. But after each of these rows, there is a GDN banner which is quite frustrating to deal with when browsing through the phone.

Content

Content is Squid TV's stronghold. What it lacks in graphics, it makes up for it through content. There are eight main categories of content - News Channels, Ethnic TV, Entertainment & Cultural TV, Shopping TV, Music TV, Sports TV & Videos, Scientific & Education TV and Religious TV. Each of these buckets has a diverse range of channels from all around the world. For instance, if you click on News, you can find content from countries such as the US, the UK, India, Ghana, UAE, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Nepal,. Japan,. New Zealand and many more.

Desktop/Mobile experience

It's not a big reveal when I say I prefer streaming IPTV websites on my mobile phone. And this website is a fine example of why it is so. Just tons of ads all over the place makes the streaming quite cumbersome. However, I had to test the website on both the desktop and mobile devices to see if that made a difference. Though the actual streaming wasn't that bad, the browsing experience was quite terrible, to say the least.

Suggestions I have for Squid TV

I have no problems with the actual streaming capability. However, that is valid if I stay on the page until then. The homepage and the inner page's design are absolutely shambolic. I would really request the developers to revamp the entire website.

Conclusion

Squid TV is very popular and this is clear from its Facebook following. People can try out the free to air content and other paid channels, but be aware of the ads.