LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Cable movie operator Showtime Networks said on Tuesday it will give away games for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox video game console throughout the summer to its new subscribers.

Showtime, a unit of Viacom Inc. , said people who sign up during the promotional period will get either two free Xbox games or one game and a starter kit with 12-month subscription to the Xbox Live online gaming service.

The deal is the second major tie-up between Microsoft and a Viacom entity in recent weeks. On April 11 Microsoft said it would unveil the next-generation version of the Xbox console in a worldwide series of specials on music channel MTV.

Showtime said it and its affiliates will promote the program with TV ads and a direct-mail campaign. The network said its research showed households subscribing to premium digital TV services were 75 percent more likely to buy video games than the average household.

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.