Your favorite series is no longer available on the platform where you used to watch it. Your tracking app has shut down overnight. You are looking for where and how to watch your shows online without multiplying subscriptions or losing your history. This guide reviews the concrete solutions that work, the pitfalls to avoid, and the habits to adopt to maintain control over your video content consumption.
Data loss after the closure of TV Time: key takeaways
The closure of TV Time on July 15, 2026, caught millions of users off guard. The app had allowed users to track series and movies, rate each episode, and share their opinions for over ten years.
The main issue was not the disappearance of the service itself, but the permanent deletion of all personal data: viewing history, ratings, comments. Users who had not exported their archive via the GDPR tool before the deadline lost everything, with no recourse available.
This situation illustrates a risk that many overlook. When you entrust years of tracking to a single app, you become entirely dependent on its longevity. The lesson is simple: before settling on a new service, make sure it offers data export in an open format (CSV, JSON, or connection to a third-party API like Trakt).
For those who want to watch your shows online while keeping control over their history, this precaution makes all the difference.
Tracking apps on Android: concrete selection criteria
You may have noticed that most lists of alternatives simply line up app names without explaining what really distinguishes them? Here are the criteria that matter on a daily basis.
Portability and history import
The first question to ask: can I retrieve my data if I change my mind? An app that locks your history replicates exactly the problem of TV Time. Trakt, for example, operates as a central database. Several Android apps (SeriesGuide, Showly, Moviebase) connect to it. You can switch from one to another without losing your progress.
Episode tracking and notifications
A good tracker marks watched episodes in a maximum of two taps. If the interface requires you to navigate through three menus to check off an episode, you’ll give up within a week. Test the app with an ongoing series before importing your entire catalog.
Community or simplicity
Some users want to rate, comment, and read reviews. Others just want a clean list. This choice strongly influences the selection:
- Serializd focuses on the community aspect with reviews and recommendations, similar to what TV Time offered
- SeriesGuide on Android remains a quick utility, without integrated social networking, synced via Trakt
- Bingers, launched in August 2026 by a co-founder of TV Time (Antonio Pinto), accepts the import of GDPR archives for users who had saved them
Free and legal streaming in France: often overlooked options
Why pay for four subscriptions when part of the catalog you’re looking for is available for free? In France, several services offer video content at no cost, funded by advertising or licensing fees.
Arte.tv streams all of its programs on replay without registration, with a catalog of documentaries, films, and series that far exceeds what the channel shows on air. France.tv provides access to content from France 2, France 3, France 5, and original productions from the platform.
On the app side, Molotov (in its free version) aggregates live and replay channels from TNT. Video quality remains decent on smartphones or tablets, although advanced features (recording, higher quality) require a subscription.
To access a wider catalog of films without paying, ad-supported services like Samsung TV Plus or Pluto TV are worth trying. The content rotates frequently, but you can regularly find complete films and series.
Pirate IPTV in France: a rising legal risk
The temptation exists: boxes or apps offer access to hundreds of channels and live sports content for a fraction of the price of a legal subscription. The problem is that the legal framework in France has tightened significantly.
An automatic real-time blocking system now targets pirate sports streams in France. Internet service providers can cut off an illegal stream within thirty minutes of reporting. Canal+ has initiated large-scale proceedings against resellers and users of pirate IPTV services in Europe.
The consequences are no longer theoretical. Fines and prosecutions also affect end users, not just broadcasters. The legal risk far outweighs the savings made on a subscription.
Maintaining control over your video content: sustainable habits
The proliferation of platforms (Amazon, Google Play Movies, replay channels) makes tracking what we watch increasingly complex. A few simple habits can help avoid getting lost.
- Centralize tracking on a service with open export (Trakt remains the reference for portability)
- Prefer downloading over Wi-Fi rather than streaming on 4G/5G, which reduces data consumption and improves playback quality
- Check free catalogs (Arte, France.tv) before subscribing to a new service
- Export your tracking data at least once a quarter, to never relive the TV Time scenario
The best viewing tool is one you can leave freely. Choosing an app or platform also means choosing the conditions under which you will retrieve your data when the service changes or disappears. This question deserves to be asked even before creating an account.
