TiVo and Research In Motion on Thursday announced a deal that would give BlackBerry users the ability to view their home TV program guide and schedule DVR recordings while away from home.

 

The arrangement also hints at future direct BlackBerry access to stored TV content, which would place TiVo on a collision course with companies such as Sling Media, and ultimately with cable and phone operators.

 

The idea of extending the control of the living room TV out to mobile devices is not new. Sling Media has beaten that path with the Slingbox and its related mobile applications.

 

But a number of cable operators and the two major phone companies are at different stages of developing on-the-go TV remote control applications, so this is something of a pre-emptive strike by TiVo and RIM.

 

“Any integration of home and mobile is a step in the right direction, so I think there will be future announcements around the video component,” said Sameer Mithal, senior principal at IBB Consulting. “It may not be live content like the Slingbox, but it pushes TiVo ahead of the cable companies.”

 

RIM’s first-mover advantage could be short-lived because the deal is not exclusive, so TiVo can make similar arrangements with other handset makers such as Apple, Nokia, and Motorola.

 

“We are announcing a relationship with RIM, so the relationship will extend to all of the two companies’ key assets. We are very excited by the potential of this deal,” said Ryan Perry, TiVo’s manager of corporate development.

 

TiVo has a program called Desktop Plus where users can transfer recorded TV shows to their PCs or a number of portable and mobile devices such as the Sony PSP and the Apple iPod, along with any compatible mobile phone.

 

“Now RIM has the potential to improve that technology where you don’t have to first download the content to a memory card and then plug that card into your phone,” Mr. Perry said.