Digital Network Wraps Winter Season with Record Views

In just its second full year of streaming, the CBA Digital Network (CBADN) has surely grabbed people’s attention.

The student-driven broadcasting channel saw a record number of views during its winter season, which included eight home basketball games, two hockey contests, and the swimming state championship.

During the CBADN’s eight basketball broadcasts, the network averaged north of 450 unique views per game, with their high-water mark coming during The Founders’ Cup against Red Bank Catholic. That rivalry tilt, which resulted in a CBA victory, drew a CBADN-record 1,200 unique views.

The network also streamed two CBA Hockey games against crosstown rivals, Middletown North and Middletown South. The January contest against Middletown South drew a hockey record of 350+ unique views.

The CBADN dove into swimming state final action when they broadcast last weekend’s Non-Public A State Championship against St. Augustine Prep. The NJSIAA-sponsored event and CBA championship victory had a few hundred views for a early Saturday morning stream.

“Without a doubt, this winter season was our breakout campaign,” said Jason Lutz, director of marketing & communications and the CBADN’s advisor. “The students worked tremendously hard to produce high-quality broadcasts for the CBA community and I was excited to learn their hard work paid off with a solid viewership count.”

The Digital Network’s final basketball broadcast on February 14th, a Shore Conference Tournament game against Jackson Memorial, was picked as Mascot Media’s national game of the week. Not surprisingly, CBA was the country’s most watched broadcast during that week, after finishing in the top-three in views three other weeks.

Debuting midway through basketball season in February 2017, the CBADN allows students to self-produce a live broadcast, which streams through CBA Athletics’ LetsGoColts.com and the ColtsCenter App. Mascot Media, a national sports app company, provides the platform for the network.

Students are in-charge of the camera work, production computer, and the live commentary. This winter, a four-man team was standard during each live basketball broadcast and a three-man set for hockey and swimming.

Another exciting feature of the CBADN is their ability to cut short video highlights for CBA Athletics’ social media accounts. During each broadcast, you could find one or more clips from that game on Twitter or Instagram before the game had even concluded.

“I can’t tell you how many alums contact me to tell me they’ve been watching our games on the CBA Digital Network,” Director of Athletics Vito Chiaravalloti said. “We’ve gained a lot of respect and credibility in the community outside of CBA, specifically other athletic directors, local businesses, and others who follow what we do. As I speak with colleagues from other schools, they tell me how impressed they are with the Digital Network and CBA’s media as a whole, and how well we showcase our great student-athletes.”

The action won’t stop with the winter season, however. The CBADN will be broadcasting select home lacrosse games during the spring season, starting in April.

You can stay up-to-date with new CBADN broadcasts by following them on Twitter @CBADN.

About Christian Brothers Academy:
Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) is a private, Catholic, academic preparatory school for boys located in Lincroft, New Jersey. Founded in 1959 and taught in the Lasallian tradition, CBA is dedicated to helping students become intellectually mature and morally responsible leaders for society. Through the combined efforts of the Office of Advancement and friends of the Academy, CBA awards over $1.5 million in scholarships and financial aid to current students. Experience the Academy at www.CBALincroftNJ.org.