Substituting video on demand (VOD) content items for video content recorded onto a digital video recorder (DVR) or selected to be recorded onto a DVR is provided. Oftentimes, there is overlap between content that a user has recorded on his DVR or is selecting to record onto his DVR and video content that is available in a VOD library. When a user selects to record video content, selects to play recorded content, when a storage space reaches a predetermined capacity, or according to a predetermined time interval, a query may be performed to search for VOD content items that match recorded content or content selected to be recorded. If a match is found, the VOD content item may be substituted for the DVR recording. When a user selects to playback the content, the content may be streamed from the VOD library. Advertising may also be inserted.