Los Angeles - FunnyorDie.com, the comedy site backed by Will Ferrell that offers original video programming, has received an investment from Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO in exchange for a "small equity stake," Variety reports. The deal will also see FunnyorDie create 10 half-hours of programming for HBO, and the two partnering on live comedy tours and possibly FunnyorDie-branded programming on HBO channels.

Variety reports that HBO's interest is believed to be less than 10%.

"We want it to be in the same family of the comedy that we're doing on the website -- just a wide range of anything from a funny offbeat talkshow to a maybe more-traditional-type sitcom to a show with puppets," Ferrell told Daily Variety, describing what the site intends to produce for HBO.

"We don't want to limit ourselves in any way, which is what we love about the stuff that we do for Funny or Die. The spitballing on these ideas is going to be the fun part of all this."

FunnyorDie.com was launched in 2006 with funding from backers including Sequoia Capital, and drew early traffic with "The Landlord," which featured Ferrell and a toddler landlord.

The site has averaged about 3.2 million unique visitors over the past several months.

Related Links:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987248.html

http://www.funnyordie.com