--- {"title": "How to import collection data for movie reviewers in 2026", "description": "Movie reviewers can import collection data from a public IMDb list and get separate links for movies and shows.", "url": "https://vlcleanplayer.com/how-to-import-collection-data-for-movie-reviewers/", "date": "2026-10-21"} --- Movie reviewers can import collection data from a public IMDb list and get separate links for movies and shows. Movie reviewers can import collection data by preparing a review workflow, choosing an import method, and keeping one public list that feeds the rest of their tools. | Option | What it does | Fee details | |---|---|---| | Watcharr | Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [^1] | not published | | Manual list | Keep the titles in a plain text or spreadsheet list and type them into review tools by hand. | not published | | Public IMDb list shared by hand | Keep titles on a public IMDb list and copy them into review notes manually. | not published | ## What you need before you start Decide which collection of titles to import, meaning a clear set of movies or shows you want to track against your reviews. Know the scope before picking a method, because it changes which tool fits. Put the titles in one public place that other tools can read. A public IMDb list is a common choice, and it stays as the single source you update when a review is done or a title changes. Have the review tools ready that will receive the data. Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many people run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to a library, and reviewers can use them the same way to keep a review library organised. Know whether the collection holds movies, shows or both. A mixed collection needs a method that separates the two, since movies and shows are handled by different tools. Keep a stable identifier for the collection, such as the IMDb list id. That lets the same data be imported again without rebuilding the setup from scratch. ## Step by step 1. Choose one place where the collection lives, such as a public IMDb list, and update only that place so nothing falls out of step. 2. Put every title you want to import into that one list, and keep the list sorted or labelled so you can see at a glance what still needs a review. 3. Pick the import method that reads the list and delivers the data to your review tools, and make sure it can tell movies from shows. 4. Connect the method once to the tools that will use the data, following the setup those tools already expect. Nothing needs to be redone for each new title. 5. Check that movies and shows arrive in the right places, and that any title the method cannot match is reported back to you. 6. Let the method re-read the list on a regular schedule, and look at the result after a week to confirm new titles keep flowing in. 7. Fix anything that stops loading by correcting the source list, so the import does not silently fall behind. 8. Review the collection on a regular day each week, and update the source list so the imported data always reflects the reviews you have finished. ## Tools that can do it Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [^1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [^1] A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. [^1] Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. [^1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [^1] It looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. [^1] If you sign in, it re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. [^1] Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link, so a title that is on two lists is added only once. [^1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [^1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [^1] Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [^1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT. [^1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. [^1] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app, and the one-click bookmark shows on bigger screens. [^1] Before choosing another tool, check how it reads a public list, whether it separates movies from shows, and how the data moves into the review workflow. Before choosing a tool, check how it reads a public list, whether it separates movies from shows, and how the data moves into the review workflow. ## Common mistakes to avoid Avoid importing from a list you forget to keep public. An import method that reads a list needs the list to stay readable, so check the sharing setting before you rely on it. Avoid mixing movies and shows into one stream without a way to separate them. Movies and shows are handled by different tools, and a mixed collection becomes hard to track if the split is unclear. Avoid ignoring titles that could not be matched. A method that skips what it cannot match will tell you what was left out, and those titles do not vanish on their own. Avoid leaving the import on a fixed day with no check on whether the source changed. If the list stops loading, the data falls behind unless someone looks at it. Avoid skipping a check of what information the tool asks for and what access it uses, before pointing your own collection at it. ## Frequently asked questions ### How can movie reviewers import collection data? A movie reviewer can keep the collection in one public place, choose an import method that reads it, and connect that method to the review tools. The key parts are keeping a single source list and checking that movies and shows arrive in the right places after the setup. ### Can Watcharr import a collection from a public IMDb list? Yes. You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [^1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [^1] ### Does Watcharr need anything installed to import data? The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [^1] For those who want to run it, Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [^1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. [^1] ### What happens when Watcharr cannot match a title in the list? Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. [^1] That way a reviewer knows which titles did not come through and can correct them in the source list before the next read. ### What should be checked before choosing an import tool? Check how a tool reads a public list, whether it separates movies from shows, and how the data moves into the review workflow. Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. [^1] Compare those details with how the review library is managed before choosing an import method. Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. [^1] - [Visit Watcharr](/go/start-watcharr) ## Sources [^1]: Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start-watcharr)