TV Guide has launched its free iPad app today, which is sponsored exclusively by Showtime, and features social TV listings, entertainment news, and TVGuide.com’s Fall TV Preview coverage. For the first time, Facebook and Twitter share buttons will be integrated directly in the listings grid, giving TV Guide App users the unique ability to share plans to watch their favourite shows via their social networks.

As a result of their exclusive sponsorship deal, Showtime will be the first network to run a full-length episode in the TVGuide.com iPad app, namely their new show, “The Big C”, starring Laura Linney. The full episode is featured as part of the Fall Preview section of the app, along with interviews and preview videos for new and returning shows. The app will also allow users to keep lists of their favorite TV channels and shows on their iPad, as well as featuring a comprehensive search engine.

As well as all the listings, users can use the app as a sort of “one-stop” entertainment information source, as breaking entertainment news will also be included, along with a day-by-day primetime schedule, photo galleries and original videos from TVGuide.com.

Source: TV Guide

I hope this one lets you look at show descriptions at a glance, even if you do have to save them.

None of the iPad TV listings app have done it for me at all. The Yahoo one just sits there loading for hours.

Time to download this one I suppose.

The app lets you "favorite" shows, but you have to click on each airing to see its description, so you'll know if you've seen it before.

It also lets you set your TV provider - but you're stuck with every channel that's ever been on "DirecTV". Which means you cannot delete the ones that crowd your listings, including your faved shows, and the multiple airings they'll get on the channels that are for "West" markets.

This is one to download and periodically check to see if they actually bother to correct these issues.