It sounds too good to be true, but the New York Times reported this week that episodes of Showtime's "Dexter" and "Californication" will be added to TV.com's free offerings.
We called and e-mailed a representative from the site to clarify how many episodes will be added and whether the shows will be ad-supported like TV.com's other programming, but haven't received a response.
The website was revamped last month with a fresh design and a hefty helping of new and classic TV shows, from "24" to "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Now, it's drawing comparisons to Hulu and angling to be a major player in the online television market. CBS, which owns the website, is expected to announce major deals with PBS, Sony, MGM and Endemol on Monday, the Times reported.
Most interesting, though, is the possibility of content that would otherwise have to be paid for through premium cable packages. Showtime's website already offers one sample episode from its original programming as a lure for viewers to sign up for the channel. It's not clear whether TV.com would offer anything beyond that. CBS owns Showtime, so it has more of a reason to appear on the site than other premium content from channels like HBO.
Putting its full roster on TV.com would be a great way for Showtime to expand its audience. It could even be a nice source of revenue if ads were plugged in, assuming that enough people don't drop their Showtime subscriptions as a result. Again, it's not clear how many episodes of each show TV.com will actually offer.
Perhaps more will be revealed on Monday, when CBS is expected to officially announce its major deals.
