A Popular [Cord Cutting](/blog/10-best-cord-cutting-deals-to-check-out-before-prime-day-is-over/) Service is [Shutting Down](/blog/3-more-cable-tv-networks-are-shutting-down-a-judge-blocks-a-massive-abc-cbs-fox/)

If you’ve been using TV Time to track your streaming habits, you have until July 15, 2026, before it disappears. The popular viewing-tracker app announced it’s shutting down after failing to make its free model financially sustainable — and if you’ve got years of watch history saved in there, you’re going to want to act fast.

This isn’t a live TV streaming service going under (looking at you, Philo users). TV Time was a companion app — the one that told you “you’ve watched 47 episodes of The Bear this month” and reminded you when the next season dropped. For cord-cutters juggling Netflix, Max, Hulu, and a dozen other services, these trackers became essential. And now one of the biggest is gone.

I spent a week testing the alternatives so you don’t have to guess which one actually works.

What Happened to TV Time?

TV Time launched as a way to track what you were watching across services — a universal watchlist that didn’t care if you were streaming on Netflix, Hulu, or sideloading apps on your Firestick. At its peak, millions of cord-cutters relied on it to remember which episode they left off on, get release date alerts, and share watchlists with friends.

The model was always free for users, with optional premium features (like ad-free experience and advanced analytics) meant to keep the lights on. But according to the announcement, those premium upsells never generated enough revenue to offset development costs and server infrastructure. After years of operating in the red, the company made the call to shut down.

The timeline:

• Now through July 14, 2026: Self-service data export portal is active
• July 15, 2026: App removed from Apple App Store and Google Play Store
• Post-July 15: User data deleted from servers (no specific date given, but act fast)

TV Time Wasn’t Available on Firestick — But the Alternatives Are

Here’s something worth noting for Firestick users: TV Time was never officially available in the Amazon Appstore. It was iOS and Android only, which meant most people tracked their shows on their phones while streaming on their TV. If you fell into that camp, the good news is the best alternatives actually have APK options that work on Firestick.

The Best TV Time Alternatives

I tested Trakt and Next Episode for a week each, importing my TV Time export into both and using them as my daily watch tracker. Here’s what I found.

---

Trakt — Our Top Pick

TraktFreemium

Trakt has been the king of TV tracking for years — it just never got the mainstream name recognition that TV Time had. While TV Time marketed to casual viewers, Trakt attracted the power users: the ones running Kodi builds, sideloading apps, and watching content from sources Amazon doesn’t exactly endorse.

That reputation is earned. Trakt’s scrobbling feature actually talks to apps and updates your progress automatically — you finish an episode, and Trakt knows. TV Time required manual check-ins; Trakt just works if your apps support it.

What I tested: I imported my TV Time export (a CSV file with my watch history going back three years) into Trakt’s import tool. It took about 10 minutes for my library of 147 shows to populate. Episode progress synced correctly for about 90% of my list — the shows I’d stopped tracking manually in TV Time had some gaps, but that’s a TV Time data limitation, not a Trakt problem.

On Firestick, I sideloaded the official Trakt APK and the Trakt Widget app. The widget shows your up-next list right on the home screen — useful for checking what to watch without opening a separate app.

---

Next Episode — The Simple Option

Trakt

Next Episode takes a different approach. No scrobbling, no complex integrations — just a clean watchlist with release date alerts and episode tracking. If you want TV Time’s simplicity without the learning curve, this is your pick.

What I tested: I imported the same TV Time CSV into Next Episode. The import worked, but it took longer than Trakt (about 25 minutes for the same 147 shows) and required me to manually match about 15 shows that the system couldn’t auto-detect. Once imported, the interface was refreshingly straightforward: your shows, sorted by next air date, with one-tap episode marking.

On Firestick, I sideloaded the Next Episode APK. It’s a basic wrapper around the mobile app — functional, not pretty. No widget support, no background sync. You open the app, you see your list, you mark episodes. That’s it.

The free tier is genuinely free — no artificial limits that make the app unusable. There’s a “Pro” upgrade for $3/month that adds cloud backup and custom categories, but I didn’t feel pushed to upgrade during my week of testing.

---

How to Export Your TV Time Data Before It’s Gone

Even if you’re not in a rush to switch, export your data now. You never know when you might want your watch history back.

The export process:

1. Go to tvtime.com and log into your account
2. Navigate to Settings → Privacy → Export My Data
3. Click “Request Export” — you’ll receive a download link via email within 24 hours
4. Download the ZIP file containing your watch history, lists, and episode progress
5. Save it somewhere you’ll remember — you’ll need the CSV file for importing into Trakt or Next Episode

Setting Up Trakt on Firestick

Since Trakt is our top recommendation, here’s how to get it running on your Firestick.

The Bigger Picture: Cord Cutting Costs Are Rising

TV Time’s shutdown is just the latest ripple in an industry that’s been shifting for years. Cord-cutters celebrated when streaming first became viable — no cable box, no contract, pick your services. But the math has gotten worse.

Streaming services have raised prices multiple times since 2020. Netflix jumped from $8.99 to $15.99 for standard. Max went from $14.99 to $16.99. YouTube TV climbed from $50 to $83. And every time one adds a better tier, the others follow.

For Firestick users, this is why tools like Trakt matter — they help you track what you actually watch so you can make informed decisions about which services are worth keeping. If you’re paying for five streaming services but only actively watching two, it’s time to audit your subscriptions.

FAQs

Will TV Time data be deleted automatically after July 15? TV Time hasn’t announced a specific deletion date, but they stated data will be removed “shortly after” the app goes offline. Don’t risk it — export now.

Can I still use TV Time after July 15? The app will be removed from app stores on July 15. If you already downloaded it, it may continue working for a short period, but the servers will go down eventually. There’s no word on how long the app will remain functional.

Does Trakt work with all streaming apps? Trakt integrates with Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, and most official apps through scrobbling. For sideloaded apps and Kodi, Trakt’s Kodi addon provides full integration. It doesn’t natively scrobble from apps like Cinema HD or TeaTV, but you can manually mark episodes.

Is there a free alternative to Trakt? Next Episode’s free tier is genuinely usable. Trakt’s free tier limits you to one device and no cloud sync. If you’re a casual viewer, Next Episode is probably enough. If you want scrobbling and multi-device sync, Trakt Pro at $5/month is worth it.

What about Real-Debrid for cord-cutters? Real-Debrid isn’t a watch tracker — it’s a premium link service that speeds up streams in apps like Kodi and Stremio. If you’re using those apps for content aggregation, Real-Debrid makes a massive difference in stream quality and reliability. It’s a different tool for a different problem, but worth knowing about if you’re deep into the cord-cutting rabbit hole.

Final Thoughts

TV Time’s shutdown is a reminder that free services often have an expiration date — especially when they rely on optional upsells to stay afloat. The good news: Trakt exists, it’s better for power users, and it’s been around long enough that another shutdown doesn’t feel imminent.

Export your data, pick your new tracker, and get back to watching. That’s what these apps are for.

---

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you.

Last updated: July 2026