TiVo Distribution Deal

Internet entertainment site Ifilm.com said its short films will soon be distributed on TiVo Inc.’s television set-top boxes. The deal underscores the increasingly blurry line between Internet and television programming. Starting this summer, short films from Ifilm’s site will be preloaded on new TiVo boxes, digital VCR-like devices that allow viewers to record and play back television programming. The companies said they are also developing technology that will allow Los Angeles-based Ifilm’s content to be transmitted to TiVo devices through phone lines. The companies said the deal is a marketing arrangement with no money changing hands.