Beginner15 minutes

Why Switch from TV Time?

TV Time has been a popular tracker for years, but many users are looking for alternatives. Common reasons include:

Increasing ads and sponsored content in the free tier that clutter the viewing experience
No Trakt.tv sync, which means your data is locked inside TV Time with no easy way out
Social features you did not ask for, like episode comments, character polls, and badges that add noise
No data portability — if TV Time shuts down or changes, your years of tracking history go with it

Moviebase solves all of these: it syncs with Trakt for data safety, has no social layer, and keeps the focus on your personal tracking and statistics.

Trakt.tv recently added a built-in TV Time data importer, making migration easier than ever. You no longer need third-party scripts or manual rebuilding.

1Export Your TV Time Data

You have two options for getting your data out of TV Time:

Option A: Use Trakt's Built-In TV Time Importer (Recommended)

Trakt has added direct support for importing TV Time data:

Create a free account at trakt.tv if you do not have one
Go to your Trakt Settings and find the Import section
Select TV Time as the source
Follow the authorization steps to connect your TV Time account
Trakt will pull your watch history, episode progress, and ratings automatically

This is the fastest and most reliable method.

Option B: GDPR Data Request

If the Trakt importer does not work for your account, you can request your data directly from TV Time:

Email TV Time support and request a copy of your personal data under GDPR
You will receive a data export containing your watch history
Use this export to manually import into Trakt via their CSV import tool

GDPR requests can take up to 30 days. Use the Trakt importer if it is available for your account.

2Import Into Trakt.tv

If you used Option A in Step 1, your data is already in Trakt. Verify it by checking your Trakt profile:

Browse your watch history to confirm recent watches appear
Check your ratings to see if they transferred
Look at your progress for any TV shows you are currently watching

If you used Option B (GDPR export), upload the CSV file to Trakt's import tool:

Go to Trakt Settings and select Import
Upload your CSV file
Wait for the import to process (this can take a few minutes for large histories)
Review the results for any titles that did not match

3Connect Moviebase to Trakt

Now bring everything into Moviebase:

Open Moviebase on your Android device
Go to Settings
Tap Trakt.tv and authorize the connection
Enable sync for all data types:
- Watch history
- Ratings
- Watchlist
- Collections
Run the initial sync — this may take a minute if you have a large history

Moviebase syncs bidirectionally with Trakt. Anything you track in Moviebase from now on automatically backs up to Trakt, and anything you add via Trakt's web interface appears in Moviebase.

4Verify and Clean Up

After syncing, spot-check your data:

Recent watches: Open your history and confirm the last few movies and shows you watched in TV Time appear correctly
Episode progress: Check a TV show you are currently watching to make sure the correct episodes are marked
Ratings: Browse a few rated titles to verify your scores transferred
Watchlist: Confirm your saved titles are in your Moviebase watchlist

If anything is missing, you can manually add individual titles. Most imports capture 95 percent or more of your history.

5Set Up Moviebase as Your Daily Tracker

Now configure Moviebase for your workflow:

Enable notifications for new episodes of shows you follow
Create custom watchlists to organize by genre, mood, or priority
Explore statistics to see your viewing patterns (this is free in Moviebase, unlike TV Time)
Browse discovery to find your next watch using TMDB recommendations

From now on, every movie and show you track in Moviebase syncs to Trakt automatically. Your data is no longer locked in one app.

What You Gain by Switching

TV Time vs Moviebase

No more ads

Moviebase does not clutter your tracking with sponsored content or promotional banners.

Data you own

Trakt sync means your history lives in an open ecosystem, not locked in a single app.

Free statistics

See your genre breakdown, watch time, and rating distribution without paying for a premium tier.

No social noise

No episode comments, character polls, or badge notifications. Just your data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose any data during migration? Most users report 95 percent or better accuracy with Trakt's TV Time importer. Some older or obscure titles may need manual correction.

Can I keep using TV Time alongside Moviebase? Yes, but there is no sync between them. Tracking in both apps means double entry. We recommend committing to one tracker and using Trakt as your backup.

Does Moviebase cost money? Moviebase is free. The only paid option removes ads. All features, including statistics and Trakt sync, are available in the free tier.