Where To Watch: A Shortcut for Finding Streaming Availability with The Movie Database
One of my favorite things about Shortcuts is how they can bridge the gap between scattered web services and a smooth, native-like workflow. I built a new shortcut called Where To Watch, which taps into The Movie Database (TMDb) API to answer a simple but constant question: “Where is this movie or TV show streaming?”
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The Idea
The premise is straightforward: I want to type in the name of a movie or TV show, and instantly see whether it’s available to stream in my region. No need to scroll through JustWatch, no extra apps, no hunting through five different services. Just one quick Shortcut that opens Safari with the results.
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How It Works
The Shortcut starts by letting me choose between Movie or TV Show. Behind the scenes, this choice determines which TMDb endpoint it will query. For example:
- movie queries film titles
- tv queries series titles
Once I make a choice, the Shortcut asks me to type in the name. That query string gets URL-encoded and sent off to TMDb’s search API.
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Handling Results
TMDb often returns multiple matches (think about searching for “Batman”). To handle this, the Shortcut loops through results and builds a list of title/ID pairs. I can then pick the correct match from a clean, combined list:
The Dark Knight : 155
Batman Begins : 272
If no results are found, the Shortcut gracefully shows a “No results found :(” message and stops.
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Streaming Providers
Here’s where it gets good: once I’ve selected the right result, the Shortcut uses its TMDb ID to fetch the watch/providers endpoint. This API call returns a region-specific breakdown of streaming availability.
The Shortcut checks for my country code (CA in this case), and if providers exist, it pulls the first available streaming link. Safari then opens directly to the movie’s or TV Show’s JustWatch webpage. If nothing is available in my region, the Shortcut tells me:
“Unfortunately this title is not available in your region :(”
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Why I Love This
Where To Watch has quickly become one of my most-used Shortcuts. It’s the perfect blend of lightweight automation and practical everyday use. Instead of juggling apps or websites, I can now quickly search for a movie or tv show and it tells me instantly where I can watch something–or if I need to wait until it arrives in Canada.
Where To WatchApps & Tools Used to Create this Shortcut
Jayson