The US giant behind Cosmopolitan was considered by some media analysts to be a , which includes the UK’s most profitable magazine Radio Times, and the international car brand Top Gear.
In December, NatMags' chief executive Arnaud de Puyfontaine told the Daily Telegraph he was "excited" by the idea of a controlling stake in the broadcaster's magazine division.
He said: "I'm always excited when I'm faced with a situation that could be defining and create an opportunity to accelerate the pace of growth of the company I'm in charge of - and to reinforce our position in the market and be able to lead the change in the economics of the media sector."
However, any excitement regarding a possible tie-up has been short-lived. Duncan Edwards, president and chief executive of Hearst Magazines International, has admitted, less than three months after de Puyfontaine’s comments, the group is not in active talks with the BBC.
Edwards made the revelation in an interview with Media Week just days after Hearst announced a €651m multi-national deal for Lagadere’s SCA international press and magazine business.
It suggests the Lagardère deal, which includes 102 titles in 15 countries and the publishing rights to Elle, has become the over-arching priority for the group in 2011, although Edwards refused to comment further.
He said: "We believe strongly in the future of magazines and this [Lagardère] deal will give us a bigger footprint. We think Elle is one of the best magazine brands in the world and this, together with the additional exposure in China and Russia, is attractive."
Hearst Magazines International can already claim to be the most international of all publishers, with more than 200 magazines in more than 100 countries.
Edwards also dismissed predictions of prints imminent demise. He said: "We are likely to be in magazines as far as the eye can see, so consolidation is a good strategy.
"Magazine publishing is a profitable business and will continue to be so in the future...especially the major brands."
The British chief executive, who prior to assuming his role in New York , also ruled out any immediate plans to close or even consolidate the 102 titles included in the proposed deal with Lagadere.
Edwards said: "It is too early to say for certain, but, I repeat, we have no plans to make changes in the acquired portfolio as it stands today."
He went on to caution that the Lagardère transaction still requires certain approvals and said closing is not likely to be before July 2011.
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, first , following an eight month strategic review.
It came after mounting speculation surrounding the profitable division after director general .
Thompson said: "In the future, Worldwide will focus in particular on international, as opposed to UK, business development, on evolution rather than merger and acquisition, and over time will move away from exploitation in physical media like magazines."
Other titles in BBC Magazines' portfolio include Good Food, Gardeners World and, .
The BBC has remained characteristically tight-lipped about its hunt for a publishing partner, although a recent internal memo, seen by Media Week, urged staff to try and ignore rumours and speculation in the media about the sale of individual titles, and gave assurance that a single partner remains the preferred option for the business.
The corporation is also keen to retain editorial control of the titles, most of which are directly-related to BBC TV content, a move that appeared to pave the way for heritage.
German giant Bauer, the company that scooped , is now favourite to land a deal with the BBC.
IPC, owned by the biggest magazine publisher in the world, Time Inc, is in the midst of a .
However, a source at the publisher said it would be entirely wrong to suggest its ongoing consolidation process meant that there has been no interest in BBC Magazines.
In the last official ABC audit for the first half of 2010, BBC Magazines posted a 3% lift in circulation year on year, and subscriptions reached an all-time high of 886,472. The division made a pre-tax profit of £18.4m in 2009/10 on turnover of £168.3m.
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