Canada's largest sports retailer and Canada's #1 sports network bring first live broadcast-ready in-store Sport Chek Studio to connect shoppers to the sports they love

TORONTO, June 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Building on its expansive footprint in sport, today Sport Chek (@SportChek and TSN @TSN_Sports) announce that the Sport Chek Flagship store in Maple Leaf Square will be home to a first-of-its-kind, fully integrated broadcast-ready studio.

Built in collaboration with TSN, the world-class studio is located in the heart of Toronto's sports hub and will provide consumers with the opportunity to experience live segments and broadcast interviews with athletes, sports personnel and industry experts while they shop.

"We are consistently evolving the way we interact with our customers and finding new ways to shift from a point of sale to a point of experience," said Frederick Lecoq, Senior Vice-President of Marketing, FGL Sports. "Our strategic partnership with TSN allows us to give our customers a deeper immersion into a sports environment. There is no other retail store in this country where fans can get this authentic experience and we're excited to be the first to bring this to Canadians."

"This new studio is the next evolution of what continues to be a truly successful integrated partnership with Canadian Tire and the FGL team - one that has already delivered impactful, meaningful campaigns and world-class features," said Ken Volden, Vice-President and Executive Producer, Studio Production and News and Information, TSN.  "Having a fully functional studio in the middle of the Sport Chek Flagship store, right at the doorstep of one of Canada's major sports hubs will allow us to complement our productions with some pretty unique and compelling original content."

Overlooking the square from the second floor of the store, the Sport Chek Studio will host onsite broadcast hardware with the ability to send live video feeds to airwaves within seconds. The first segment from the store will air today on all editions of SPORTSCENTRE with custom basketball-related content leading up to the NBA DRAFT, airing live Thursday, June 25 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN2.

The in-store studio includes:

• 9 foot broadcast desk fully equipped with studio lighting, microphones and four cameras
• Sports ticker with 11 LED panels totaling 22,528 LEDs
• Full Colour LED System
• 48" TV Screen

The studio will broadcast special editions and reports to be featured in the following:

• SPORTSCENTRE
• LEAFS LUNCH
• Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs pre- and post-games
• TSN DRIVE WITH DAVE NAYLOR
• CABBIE PRESENTS
• TSN Digital platforms
• And more

The Sport Chek Studio and second floor of the store will be open to the public later this summer. The enhancements to the Maple Leaf Square location will provide shoppers with access to industry-leading digital technology, an immense media experience and an expanded product assortment.

In May 2014, Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) announced a multi-year media, content, and digital partnership with TSN that included access to the network's suite of assets to develop and produce branded content for CTC's marketing channels. Click here for more information.

About FGL Sports
FGL Sports Ltd. is Canada's largest national retailer of sporting goods, offering a comprehensive assortment of brand-name and private-brand products and operating more than 400 stores from coast to coast, under the following corporate and franchise banners: Sport Chek, Sports Experts, Atmosphere, National Sports, Intersport, Nevada Bob's Golf, Hockey Experts, the Tech Shop, Pro-Hockey Life and S3. FGL Sports also has websites for several of its corporate and franchise banners which can be accessed through its main website at www.FGLSports.com.

About TSN
TSN is Canada's Sports Leader and #1 specialty network. With a broad portfolio of multimedia sports assets, TSN delivers world-class content across its industry-leading platforms including five national television feeds, TSN.ca, TSN GO, and TSN Radio stations across the country. With more championship events than any broadcaster in the country, TSN's roster of live sports programming includes the Grey Cup, IIHF World Junior Championship, FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015, CFL, NFL, NBA, MLS, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Season of Champions Curling, UEFA Euro 2016, MLB, Barclays Premier League, Golf's Majors, NASCAR, F1, Grand Slam Tennis, NCAA March Madness, and Skate Canada and Rugby Canada events. TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company.

SOURCE FGL Sports Ltd.

Image with caption: "SPORTSCENTRE anchors Leo Rautins, Kate Beirness, and Frederick Lecoq, SVP Marketing for FGL Sports stand alongside the new Sport Chek and TSN live broadcast studio inside the Sport Chek store at Maple Leaf Square. (CNW Group/FGL Sports Ltd.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150623_C9845_PHOTO_EN_43754.jpg