Showtime will compete
with Turner's Gametap

Showtime, the premium network responsible for Robert Redford's Sundance Channel, comedy series Weeds and drama series The L Word, now plans to offer online videogames.

Showtime Networks has partnered with game publisher Broadband Libraries to offer an online gaming channel, reports CNET. "On Broadband Networks," as the joint venture is called, will offer free, subscription, rental and on-demand options to customers who have broadband service.

Launching this spring with six full-feature games with unlimited play, On Broadband Networks will also feature 500 games marketed with a free-trial, rental and purchase options.

On Broadband Networks would be a competitor to Turner Broadcasting's GameTap gaming network, which brought back fan favorites like Uru Live. According to analysts, that gaming network has become a place for smaller game companies to go in the face of big-publisher dominance in the game industry.