Boosted by box-office hits “Borat” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” News Corp. yesterday reported a 24 percent gain in second-quarter operating income.

Revenue at the media conglomerate – owner of The Post, movie studio 20th Century Fox, Fox Cable Channel and MySpace – rose 18 percent to $7.84 billion, coming in ahead of the $7.4 billion expected by Wall Street. Operating income totaled $1.1 billion.

Net income for the quarter slipped to 26 cents, or $822 million, down from 33 cents, or $1.08 billion, but the year-ago profits got a $381 million lift from the sale of an educational-publishing business.

Excluding that one-time gain, profits would have been up 18 percent in the quarter.

News Corp.’s movie and DVD business was the strongest performer in the quarter, with profits surging 57 percent to $470 million on strong box-office sales and home-video hits such as “Little Miss Sunshine,” “24” and “Prison Break.”

The company’s television division reported a 39 percent decline in operating income to $112 million, hurt in part by poor ratings for Major League Baseball’s post season on Fox and weaker-than-expected ratings at MyNetworkTV, a broadcast network introduced last year.

News Corp. expects fortunes at Fox to turn dramatically now that the smash series “American Idol” has returned for a new season.

The company also is committed to reversing the poor performance at MyNetworkTV by overhauling management and introducing new programming.

In anticipation of a strong second half, News Corp.’s stock gained 2 percent, or 49 cents, to $24.64 a share.