NBCUniveral pre-school targeted network Spout is growing up to appeal to a broader, 2-to-11 year old kids' audience, the company said Monday.

Beginning Saturday, Sept. 9, Sprout will be renamed Universal Kids and will include DreamWorks Animation Television series, unscripted entertainment, live action scripted originals and international content, said company officials. NBCU parent Comcast bought DreamWorks Animation a year ago for $3.8 billion.

The rebrand and audience extension will put the 12-year old Univeral Kids network in direct competition with veteran kids TV networks Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

“We see enormous potential to grow our audience in this space and create the Universal Kids platform for families to experience together,” NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Lifestyle Networks president Frances Berwick said in a release. “NBCUniversal is invested in the kids and family business, and the company believes in working together – we will benefit from promotion across our portfolio of networks and across the company through support that is unparalleled in the industry.”

Universal Kids will feature a 15-hour Sprout-branded block of preschool programming daily (3 a.m.-6 p.m.) before rolling into the older kids and families programming block at 6 p.m., the network said. Among the new shows slated for the Sprout block include Kody Kapow, which joins series Floogals, Dot., Nina’s World and Noddy Toyland Detective from DreamWorks Animation Television, NBCU said.

The new Universal Kids lineup will be anchored by the debut of Top Chef spinoff Top Chef Junior, from the Magical Elves studio. It's set to launch in October, NBCUniversal said.

“The launch of a channel that represents the world of NBCUniversal family brands with great TV content at its center makes tremendous sense for our business,” Deirdre Brennan, the general manager of Sprout and now Universal Kids, said in the release. “Just as children grow, Sprout is growing into Universal Kids – and we will reflect all that is universal about being a kid through connection, storytelling and entertainment. A place that reflects their life and passions.”

Comcast, back before it bought NBCU, launched what was then PBS Kids Sprout in 2005 as a joint venture with PBS, HIT Entertainment and Sesame Workshop as a commercial channel aimed at pre-schoolers and their caregivers. NBCU bought full control of the network in 2013. Sprout is in about 58 million U.S. TV homes, according to Nielsen universe estimates. 

Under Berwick, NBCU has been tweaking channels including Oxygen, which is taking on a true-crime focus; has switched off the crime-drama channel Cloo and is converting Esquire Network, a joint venture with Hearst, into a digital-only service, shutting down the linear Equire Network by mid June. 

NBCUniversal has named Deirdre Brennan general manager of kids network Sprout.

Sprout has turned over its executive team since the departure of network president Sandy Wax last year.

Related: Sandy Wax Named COO of Lieberman Research Worldwide

Brennan, who had been vice president of content at Corus Entertainment, will oversee oversee programming, marketing and business strategy at the 24-hour service aimed at pre-schoolers. She will report to Frances Berwick, president, Lifestyle Networks, at NBCU Cable Entertainment.

“Sprout is evolving and growing rapidly as we reinvent our business model to an originals-driven brand," Berwick said. "I’m thrilled to have a leader with Deirdre’s unparalleled experience drive this growth phase.”

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Sandy Wax, the former president of NBCUniversal-owned Sprout, has joined market research firm LRW (Lieberman Research Worldwide) as executive vice president and chief operating officer at a time when the firm said it is growing internally and via acquisitions. Wax's hiring comes as Jeff Reynolds has been promoted to president and COO of SWHoldings, the holding company for LRW businesses, continuing to report to long-time chairman and CEO Dave Sackman. Wax reports to Reynolds, who said in a release: "Sandy is a proven leader that will add strength to our management team and bring fresh perspective to our business. Most importantly, as a consumer of consumer insights throughout her professional career, she will have a sharp perspective on helping to make sure LRW remains focused on driving business impact for our clients, which is at the core of our strategy.”

Wax, who was the top executive at Sprout from soon after its launch as a joint-venture owned, pre-schooler network and through its full acquisition by NBCU in 2013 until leaving in 2016, will oversee key operations and administrative teams at Los Angeles-based LRW and guide operations integration with future acquisitions, the company said. Prior to Sprout, Wax held leadership positions at Disney including senior vice president, brand strategy and research. She also spent seven years as VP of research and planning at Discovery Communications Inc.

LRW said Reynolds joined the company in 2003 as a research director and quickly moved through the ranks to VP, general manager and ultimately president of LRW in 2010. 

LRW also has offices in London, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Orange County. In 2015, with capital raised with Tailwind Capital Partners in New York, LRW has made three recent company acquisitions so far as part of a planned series of deals.  Sackman said in the release: “Jeff’s well-earned promotion supports our goal to become the leading consulting firm utilizing integrated data analytics in the market research industry. Our vision includes rapid organic growth along with carefully targeted strategic acquisition, and Jeff’s expanded role will deliver the collaboration and alignment needed to bring our brands and a diversity of data streams together to provide greater action-oriented recommendations for our clients.”

NBCUniversal will host a single joint upfront presentation next month for the first time in company history, with cable amd broadcast, along with Spanish-language TV, taking the Radio City Music Hall stage together May 16.

Besides NBC entertainment, sports and news, the wingding will feature Bravo, CNBC, E!, Esquire Network, Golf Channel, MSNBC, NBC Universo, Oxygen, Sprout, Syfy, Telemundo and USA. In prior years, NBCUniversal held three upfront presentations, one apiece for broadcast, cable and Telemundo.

“As a media company, we have an unparalleled array of networks and digital platforms that reach the most audiences across all dayparts,” said Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising sales and client partnerships, NBCUniversal. “Our event will reflect the way we go to market as a unified portfolio which makes it easier for our clients to do business with us all together.”

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.