Showtime offering Emmy screeners on iPhone, iPod touch

Following a move last year to offer its Emmy screeners online, Showtime is letting TV Academy voters view shows on the iPhone and iPod touch. Emmy voters will be able to screen full-length episodes of Showtime series including “Dexter,” “Weeds,” and “United States of Tara” simply by entering a passcode on a website. “It’s just another option for those TV Academy members who want to see product any time and any place,” said Richard Licata, Showtime’s exec VP of corporate communications. Licata said the channel saved “tens of thousands of dollars” last year by offering episodes online, and added that he isn’t concerned about voters viewing shows on the small screen of the iPhone. “I don’t think the creative is compromised in this way. It’s just another avenue for people to explore. They can watch two or three minutes of an episode on an iPhone, and they can at least decide if they like the show.”