Channel 5 achieved record viewing figures with a 5.8 per cent audience share for the week ending August 2, according to BARB.

DDB Needham Worldwide has been appointed by Polo Ralph Lauren as its centralised global media agency.

Amazon.com. plans to acquire PlanetAll, an address book, calendar and reminder service, and Junglee Corp, a provider of database technology which helps consumers find products on the Internet.

The Guardian has appointed Internet editor Ian Katz, as features editor to replace Roger Alton, who moved last week to become editor of The Observer.

ITV World Cup pundit Barry Venison has been signed up to host ITV’s Saturday lunchtime football show, On The Ball with Gabby Yorath.

Bloomberg LP and Dow Jones & Company have agreed to expand the availability of the Dow Jones Newswires on the Bloomberg service.

Nigel Oakins, former managing director of the Post Publishing Public Company in Thailand, has been named managing director of the International Herald Tribune’s Asia and Pacific operations.

IPC Magazines has promoted Nick Wray from new media producer to new media publisher. He will be responsible for identifying new media opportunities…

…IPC is understood to be launching a men’s health magazine edited by Phil Hilton, who joins from Rodale Press where he is editor of Men’s Health.

Vladivar vodka launches a poster campaign to support its 500,000 sponsorship of Sky series ‘Greece Uncovered’ on August 9. The campaign was created by Cogent.

Gruner & Jahr is launching tv ads for magazine Prima Your Home promoting its 1 cover price. The campaign was created by Arc Advertising.

Knowledge, a glossy A4 music and lifestyle magazine from Vision Publishing, is to be relaunched nationally in August.

Tony Keefe, former group publishing director for EMAP’s computing division, has been appointed chief operating officer of publishing house and conference organiser Mondiale.

Ziff Davis, the US computer magazine publisher, posted a net loss of $76.6m (46m) for the first quarter compared to a loss of $17.4m (10m) for the same period last year.