Only DirecTV subs can use Miso app for Showtime's 'Dexter'

Social TV firm Miso teamed up with Showtime to deliver second-screen content to viewers watching Sunday's premiere of hit drama Dexter, but DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) is the only pay TV provider whose subscribers will be able to watch content synchronized on Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone.

DirecTV struck a deal with Miso earlier this month which allows subscribers who have an iPhone linked to their DirecTV set-top via a WiFi connection to receive content on mobile devices that is synched with TV programming. While Miso also has agreements to develop second-screen content with TNT, Comedy Central and other programmers, it hasn't yet struck other deals with pay TV providers.

Under Miso's partnership with Showtime, viewers who use its iPhone app to "check-in" to the Dexter premiere--which notifies their friends that they are watching the show--will receive content on their iPhone that is synched with the Dexter broadcast, including trivia. Viewers will also be asked to respond to polls involving the drama that tells the story of a police officer who moonlights as a serial killer, such as, "Who is Dexter's next victim?"

Social TV check-in services such as Miso and GetGlue are only beginning to emerge. But they have the potential to help pay TV programmers and distributors keep subscribers with mobile devices more engaged in programming, and could boost ratings and create advertising opportunities for programmers. It will be interesting to note if Showtime and Miso share the results of the second-screen app they created for one of the network's most popular series, including how many DirecTV subs use the app.

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