A time-shifted digital content item is played via a playback screen, and an updateable companion timeline associated with the time-shifted digital content item is accessed. The updateable companion timeline includes one or more timeline events, and each timeline event has a trigger time corresponding to a playback time in the time-shifted digital content item. Responsive to reaching a playback time that matches a trigger time of one of the one or more timeline events during playback of the time-shifted digital content item, the timeline event having that trigger time is rendered.