From TV Time to Trakt

Carrie and I watch a lot of shows, from major network programs to those on various streaming services. It can be difficult to remember where certain shows are available or where we left off in a particular series. To help with that, I started using an app to track the shows and movies we watch.

The app was called TV Time. I'm not exactly sure when I started using it. The service launched around 2011, but I think I began using it sometime in 2014 or 2015. For years, I used it to keep track of the shows and movies I watched. Unfortunately, in early July, TV Time shut down. The company behind the site and app decided it was no longer worth keeping the service running.

I searched around for a similar app to help track shows. Over the years, I had tried several alternatives but never found one I liked as much as TV Time, so I stuck with it. With TV Time gone, I had to move on and find something else. I landed on Trakt, which offers both a website and an app. I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I'm enjoying it.

Trakt is free if you manually enter the shows and movies you want to track. They also offer integrations with services such as Apple TV and Netflix, but those features require a paid subscription. Naturally, I started with the free option before deciding to see how the automatic tracking worked. The VIP subscription costs $5.99 per month and includes features such as automatic tracking and calendar feeds for upcoming shows and movies. So far, I like it. It makes it very easy to keep track of shows across multiple streaming services.

For shows we watch through YouTube TV, such as those on NBC, CBS, and other networks, I still manually mark them as watched. That process has been working well for me.

You might be wondering why an app is needed to track shows in the first place. As I mentioned, we watch a number of different shows and subscribe to several streaming services. Many times, we can't remember where we watched a particular show, especially when a new season arrives a year or two later. In the past, I would open TV Time to see where a show was streaming and then go directly to that service to start the new season.

Trakt offers a similar experience. When I receive an email or calendar notification about a returning show, I can click through and quickly find where it's available. From there, I can mark it as currently watching or watched. It's a simple process and works really well.

Before long, the regular network television season will be starting up again, so I'm glad I found a new place to track everything. One thing I appreciated was how easy Trakt made the migration process. I was able to transfer my watch history from TV Time without much effort. That meant I didn't lose 10 to 15 years of viewing history, which was nice.

I know I wasn't very consistent about tracking movies in TV Time. I got better about it over the past few years, but I still missed quite a few. With Trakt, I'm trying to do a better job of recording all the movies we watch, especially those that aren't part of a streaming service. It's nice to have a record of what we've watched and to be able to add notes that I can refer back to later.

I'm not sure if I'll continue with the VIP subscription long term, but for now, I'm enjoying the process and the information it provides about the shows and movies we've watched.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week!

Surviving YouTube TV's Contract Disputes: My Experience

As many of you know, I have been a YouTube TV (YTTV) subscriber for several years. Like other services, including cable and satellite, YTTV occasionally faces outages due to contract disputes. Over the years, I've seen various channels disappear, from ESPN to MLB. The most recent threat was CBS (Paramount) potentially disappearing from the channel lineup. Similar to the ESPN situation, a significant number of channels would have left the service if the CBS contract wasn't renewed.

CBS's contract with YTTV was set to expire on Thursday, February 13. Leading up to that date, CBS shows displayed a running tagline urging viewers to contact YTTV to keep CBS. Meanwhile, YTTV sent out notices encouraging subscribers to contact CBS to finalize the contract. Both entities pointed fingers at each other, claiming the other was not cooperating to reach a common solution.

Fortunately, late on February 13, both parties reached a temporary agreement (USA Today Article). We continue to have access to CBS and all its channels. However, this is not a permanent solution but rather a temporary extension. I haven't found any information on how long this extension will last, but I'm hoping it will extend past March to avoid interruptions during NCAA basketball's March Madness.

This won't be the last contract dispute for YTTV. When we were Cox TV customers, they frequently had contract disputes. I recall channels disappearing or displaying scrolling text warnings, only to be resolved at the last minute. That was ten to fifteen years ago, and nothing has changed. These disputes will continue to be a part of the experience for both cable customers and cord-cutters.

Since I joined YTTV, the cost has steadily increased. However, it is still much less than what we paid for Dish satellite service. I never cared for Cox's television service, but I've been happy with YTTV despite the rising costs. Many people on social media claim to leave YTTV over slight cost increases or potential channel losses. Despite these issues, I continue to enjoy YTTV. The DVR options are solid, and I appreciate the layout and ease of use. I have no plans to switch services.

In my years as a YTTV customer, we've lost channels, only to have them return once contracts were resolved. The only exception is the MLB Network, which left YTTV on January 31, 2023, due to unresolved contract disputes. While it would be nice to have the MLB Network back, it's not a deal-breaker for me. However, for many, this was a deal-breaker, and they left YTTV.

For now, happy watching! I hope CBS/Paramount and YouTube TV can reach a long-term agreement so I won't be back here in a month saying we've lost CBS/Paramount again.