Clips posted on YouTube, Google’s video-sharing site, are to appear on TV screens courtesy of Apple in the latest move from one of the media sector’s most formidable partnerships.

From next month, the set-top AppleTV box will stream selected amateur videos from the YouTube site on users’ television screens.

The deal will boost the volume – if not the quality – of content available on AppleTV. The wireless router, designed to link PCs and televisions to give Apple a better foothold in its users’ living rooms, has so far receieved a lukewarm reception, with critics panning sound and picture quality.

The tie-up could also expose Apple to the legal wrangle surrounding YouTube’s alleged use of bootlegged content. Google, which acquired YouTube for $1.6 billion (£800 million) last year, faces a $1 billion lawsuit from Viacom.

The media group behind MTV yesterday struck a conciliatory tone, saying it would “welcome the opportunity to license our content to Apple”.

Apple, the leader in online music, and Google, the biggest search engine, already cooperate on several fronts.

Steve Jobs, the Apple chief executive, used a recent meeting with Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, to plug the bespoke version of Google’s Maps service, which is to appear on Apple’s iPhone. Eric Schmidt, the Google boss, is on the Apple board. He recently defended increased cooperation, saying that “Google and Apple . . . have similar goals and similar competitors”.

Mr Jobs also unveiled an AppleTV upgrade – a £269 model with a 160 gigabyte hard drive that is four times larger than previous versions and can store up to 200 hours of video. The revamp raised further questions over whether Apple is satisfied with the product.

Separately, Google unveiled Google Gears, a new tool that allows online applications such as e-mail to be used without an internet connection. The system will allow Google’s web-based systems to better compete with Microsoft rivals such as World and Excel.

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