Bauer Media and H Bauer have reportedly joined forces in a bid for BBC Magazines – the first major link-up of the two Bauer businesses in more than three years.

H Bauer, whose titles include Take A Break, bought Emap’s consumer magazine and radio division – including Grazia, Heat and Q – in a £1.14bn deal in December 2007 and renamed the division Bauer Media. But until now, the two parts of the business have remained very separate.

Now, according to Media Week, the two Bauers are in joint talks about buying BBC Worldwide’s 50 magazine titles, which are up for sale.

BBC titles such as Radio Times would sit comfortably in the H Bauer stable alongside TV Choice, while titles such as Top Gear are firmly in Bauer Media territory.

A BBC Magazines spokeswoman said the company hoped to draw up a shortlist of a bidders in the coming weeks and finalise any deal in the summer.

Any sale would need the approval of the BBC Trust, which is due to announce the appointment of its new chairman shortly.