Universal Pictures haslaunched a family home entertainment label, which will develop, produce andacquire live-action and animated family titles directly for the homeentertainment market worldwide.

Universal Studios HomeEntertainment Family Productions (USHEFP) will be headed up by UniversalStudios Home Entertainment president Craig Kornblau, while day-to-daymanagement will be in the hands of family entertainment veteran Glenn Ross, whobecomes USHEFP general manager and executive vice president.

Going forward all Universalproduction entities working on family titles for the home entertainment andtelevision markets will now fall under the aegis of USHEFP, including theUniversal Cartoon Studios.

As part of the restructureLondon-based Universal Pictures Visual Programming president Hugh Rees-Parnallwill report to Universal Pictures International president Pete Smith.

"As the home entertainmentbusiness continues its exponential growth, we feel now more than ever the timeis right to capitalise on the tremendous demand for superior family-friendlycontent made specifically for DVD consumers," Universal chairman Stacey Snidersaid in a statement.

"We have had tremendoussuccess in the made-for-DVD arena to date and we are confident that bydedicating even greater attention to this platform we will deliver exceptionalentertainment that will appeal to the broadest range of audiences."