The French publisher of Elle is nearing a decision to sell its portfolio of international titles to one of two bidders: U.S.-based Hearst Corp or Germany-based Bauer Media Group. Media group Lagardere would reap about 600 million to 700 million euros ($786 million to $916 million) from the sale, according to a source. Lagardere said in early December it was seeking to sell its international magazine division as it was cutting costs and shifting its focus to other assets based in France. Lagardere publishes 212 titles, including Car and Driver and Woman's Day, in 45 countries.

After almost a decade in Hollywood as the head of UPN and its successor broadcast network, CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff is expected to return to New York. Word is, Ostroff will probably leave the CW at the end of her contract in June to relocate to New York with her kids. A formal announcement is not expected to come until after next month's Television Critics Assn. conference in Pasadena. Ostroff is the longest-running sitting broadcast entertainment president. She had been based in New York as SVP and EVP of Lifetime until CBS Corp. boss Leslie Moonves tapped …

CBS' "Blue Bloods," which is averaging more than 12 million viewers on Friday nights, will begin its tryout Jan. 19 displacing "The Defenders," which will move to Fridays at 8 p.m. effective Feb. 4. Previously announced "Live to Dance," with Paula Abdul, will get the 8 p.m. Wednesday slot beginning Jan. 5. "The Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" will fill "Blue Bloods" slot after it concludes its four-week run. "Mad Love" bows Monday, Feb. 21 at 8:30 p.m. "Rules of Engagement," which currently airs on Mondays, will move to Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. beginning Feb. 24 in the slot now …

In 2011, mobile TV is expected to gain momentum as the Mobile Content Venture, a group of 12 major broadcasters, will be upgrading stations to start delivering mobile DTV in 20 markets covering more than 40 percent of the U.S. population. In the initial rollout, viewers in such metropolitan areas as Chicago, Los Angeles and Orlando, Fla., are scheduled to receive at least two free channels during the second half of 2011. "I wouldn't say we're at the tipping point," said John Taylor, a spokesman for LG Electronics, which helped develop the industry standard for mobile DTV. "But ... …

Hulu has nixed going public but will consider new subscription plans that could broaden its pay-video offerings beyond the recently introduced Hulu Plus. The company has decided not to proceed with the IPO right now and may pursue other options for capital instead, those could include Hulu's existing owners putting in more money. Hulu's lack of long-term rights to its owners' online-video programming was one reason the board and Hulu's management have decided not to proceed with an IPO. News Corp., Walt Disney Co. and General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal are investors in Hulu, along with Providence Equity …

A divided Federal Communications Commission has approved new rules meant to prohibit broadband companies from interfering with Internet traffic flowing to their customers. The 3-2 vote Tuesday marks a major victory for FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who has spent more than a year trying to craft a compromise. Known as net neutrality, the rules prohibit phone and cable companies from favoring or discriminating against Internet content and services, such as those from rivals. The rules require broadband providers to let subscribers access all legal online content, applications and services over their wired networks, including online calling services, Internet video …

It happened to Xerox and more recently to Google, and now "wikileaks" has joined the list of proper names that are common enough to enter the English language as their own word. Texas-based Global Language Monitor said the Web site WikiLeaks, which has publicly released thousands of confidential U.S. government documents, has been referred to by so many people that it has met the criteria of reach, depth and breadth to be considered its own word. "Wikileaks joins a number of new media and high technology companies whose names and functions are being incorporated into the language," said Paul …

A strong scatter market and a deluge of automotive dollars have analysts particularly bullish, and many industry observers are predicting a record haul for ad-supported cable in 2011. In a note to investors, Barclays Capital analyst Anthony DiClemente said cable ad spending would hit $19.6 billion this year, up 8.5% from 2009 levels, while next year's take could add up to as much as $21.5 billion (up 9.5%). In the midst of the Great Recession, cable ad sales in 2009 dipped just 2.5%, making it the most resilient sector across all media. More recently, ESPN has enjoyed the greatest …

What Betty White did in 2010 doesn't usually happen: an 88-year-old actress with more than six decades in Hollywood is voted the Entertainer of the Year by members of The Associated Press. But more than acclaim, her unlikely, age-defying success resonated deeply with people who saw in her a spirited, hilarious aberration, a woman not dimmed by age but enhanced by it: The genuine article in a pop culture awash in imitators. There were 102 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. Voters were asked to cast their ballots for who had the most …

When it comes to the Internet, it would be hard to call News Corp. timid. The conglomerate has as a history of online business endeavors, but it's a list of prolonged failures: Delphi Internet Services, iGuide and MySpace. More recently, Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chief (who once called Facebook the "flavor of the month"), has been railing against Google, while trying to turn back the clock in the newspaper business by installing pay walls on his Web sites. Soon, News Corp. will unveil "The Daily," a subscription newspaper for tablet devices like the iPad. The company is said …