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Import your TV Time export into Watchy

Updated

This guide starts from the archive you downloaded before TV Time shut down on 15 July 2026 (source: MacRumors): a new one can no longer be requested. It covers the files Watchy reads, the steps, how each title is found, and what is or is not imported.

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Finding your TV Time archive

The archive is usually named tvtime-export-YYYY-MM-DD.zip. Look for that name in your downloads, your cloud storage and your e-mails. On iPhone, files downloaded from Safari usually land in the Files app, in the Downloads folder.

If all you have left is the unzipped folder, zip the CSV files back together: Watchy recognises each file by its columns, whatever the archive is called.

The files Watchy reads

The recent TV Time export is a .zip archive holding three CSV files:

  • tvtime-series-….csv: followed shows, their status and their TheTVDB and IMDb IDs;
  • tvtime-series-episodes-….csv: every episode, watched or not, with its season, number and watch date;
  • tvtime-movies-….csv: movies, watched or to watch, with their year and IMDb ID.

Drop the archive as is, without unzipping it. Older exports (separate CSV files such as seen_episode.csv) and TV Time’s .html summary page are recognised too. Maximum size: 200 MB per file.

Steps

  1. Create an account or sign in, then open the Settings.
  2. In the import section, pick TV Time as the source (automatic detection recognises the archive too).
  3. Select your tvtime-export-….zip file and start the import.
  4. Follow the progress: titles processed, titles matched and episodes ticked are shown as the import runs.
  5. Read the summary: the titles imported, and those that could not be matched, each with its reason.

How each title is found

For each show or movie in the export, Watchy tries, in this order:

  1. the IMDb ID, when the export provides it;
  2. the show’s TheTVDB ID, converted by TMDb or, failing that, by TVMaze;
  3. the title and year on TMDb, then on AniList as a last resort for a series or anime.

A title that does not resolve is listed with the reason: no candidate found, candidate too far off (with the closest title suggested), or no usable title or ID. The import log can be exported so you can find them by hand.

What is imported

  • Followed shows, with their status mapped: to watch, watching, completed or dropped.
  • Every episode marked as watched, with its original watch date and the episode’s real runtime: your statistics and calendar are up to date as soon as the import finishes.
  • Movies watched and those on your watchlist. A movie watched with no watch date takes the date it was added in TV Time.
  • Favourites, only if the .html summary page is present: the three CSV files contain none.

What is not imported

  • Ratings and reactions: the TV Time export’s CSV files have no column for them.
  • Rewatches (the rewatch_count column): an episode or movie watched again counts once.
  • Episodes from very old exports identified only by a TheTVDB number, with no season or episode number: they cannot be placed and are reported.
  • Shows or movies that neither the ID nor the title can find with certainty: a title listed separately is better than a history attached to a namesake.

Duration, errors and undoing an import

A history of several hundred shows takes several minutes: Watchy respects the catalogues’ request limits. Only one import runs at a time.

If you are not happy with the result, the import can be undone from the Settings: the titles it touched go back to their state before the import, and the others do not move. Anything you changed by hand on those titles since the import is then overwritten.

Once your history is in Watchy, you can export it at any time as a full JSON file, to keep it or re-import it elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to unzip the archive before importing it?

No. Drop the .zip file as is: Watchy opens it and reads every CSV inside.

Can I still request an export from TV Time?

No, the service has been closed since 15 July 2026. Without an archive, you will have to add your shows by hand; the TV Time alternative page explains how to tick everything back in a few steps.

What about the titles that were not matched?

Search for them in Watchy and add them from their page: the summary gives their title and year, and the reason for the miss helps pick the right version when two titles share a name.

Can other accounts see my imported history?

Not by default: a profile is private until you make it public. If it is, the other accounts of the instance see your statistics and recent watches. An import never publishes a review.

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