To gain access to the feature, simply update either the Showtime or Showtime Anytime app. Once the update completes, the entirety of Showtime’s library will be available for download and offline viewing. Content includes all current seasons of ongoing series like Homeland, Billions, and Shameless; full runs of older series like Weeds and Dexter; and Showtime’s catalog of films and documentaries. To begin downloading, simply navigate to a program’s detail page and tap “download.” Downloaded content can be accessed by opening the “download list” at the top of the app’s navigation bar.
Video quality differs between devices. On iPhones and Android phones, videos can be downloaded in either 540p standard definition or 720p high definition. On tablets, videos can also be downloaded at 1080p. Videos can be watched even before they finish downloading, so you won’t have to wait around to start your next episode of Shameless. Downloaded videos will pick up in the same spot where you were streaming it before downloading, letting you resume your watching seamlessly.
Compared to similar features available from Netflix and Amazon, which largely only apply to the original programming on those services, Showtime’s unrestricted offline viewing appears far less complicated. Showtime is also the first premium cable channel with a streaming service to offer downloads and offline viewing of its content. HBO, for example, has yet to offer any such feature on its mobile streaming apps, HBO Now and HBO Go.
