Blue Ocean Network

Blue Ocean Network (BON, Chinese: 蓝海电视) is an English-language television news network based in China. According to the Global Times, it is the first privately owned Chinese commercial TV network. It states it "is one of the first private English-language Television Network to offer International viewers fresh China-focused news and features, including business & technology, travel, art & creativity, and health & living programming, produced exclusively from China." It previously stated its aim was to provide "comprehensive and objective programming produced exclusively from, and about, China". The station primarily broadcasts two types of shows, news and culture. The news shows have included China Price Watch, China Beat, China Take, MicroBlog Buzz, On the Level, and Media Watch. Cultural programming includes reality travel shows, talk shows, and educational programming. Many of the station's programs are available on television and online platforms, and a number of the videos have gone viral on YouTube and Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, Baidu Video, Sohu, and Youku Tudou. As of December 2014, the official website's About Us section stated that its programming "is available on Dish Network USA as part of the International Basic Package and Chinese Package, on Sky TV (BSkyB) across Great Britain as part of the Basic Package, on MHz Networks USA in Washington DC, and on Broadcast Stations and Cable Networks across more than 30 U.S. States." It is funded by CDH Venture Partners, and other sources of its revenues include local Chinese governments.

Blue Ocean Network emerged as a China-based English-language television venture aimed at viewers outside the Chinese-language domestic television market. Its distinctive proposition was to produce programming in China and explain Chinese developments, businesses, social issues, and culture directly to international audiences. Reference descriptions present BON as one of the earliest private English-language television networks in China and identify it, through reporting cited in the source material, as the first privately owned Chinese commercial television network. The network's editorial model combined news with cultural and lifestyle content. Its news programs included China Price Watch, China Beat, China Take, MicroBlog Buzz, On the Level, and Media Watch. Together, these titles indicate coverage of prices and commerce, current affairs, public discussion, online discourse, and media-related issues. The network also employed English-speaking presenters and anchors including Fergus Thompson, Joshua Linder, Neal Jones, David Nye, Joseph Nordstrom, Michael Butterworth, Ken Xu, Matt Sheehan, and Yue Xu. The supplied reference does not establish the dates of their service or distinguish consistently between former and current presenters. BON's non-news output extended into travel, cultural discovery, talk, and education. Its described subject areas included business and technology, travel, art and creativity, and health and living. This mix allowed the network to present China not only through breaking news but also through explanatory features and programs intended to introduce places, people, ideas, and everyday life to viewers abroad. Independence from state-run broadcasting was an important part of the network's identity. Reference material states that BON could report on some subjects regarded as taboo or less likely to receive coverage on Chinese state television. The network's earlier stated aim was to provide comprehensive and objective programming produced exclusively from and about China. These claims placed BON within the broader development of Chinese media organizations seeking to communicate with global audiences while operating from inside China. Distribution developed across television and digital channels. BON programming was offered through its website and online video platforms, and the network reported carriage on Dish Network's international packages in the United States, Sky in Great Britain, MHz Networks in Washington, D.C., and broadcast and cable outlets across more than 30 U.S. states as of December 2014. Clips and programs were also circulated through YouTube and Chinese online services and social platforms including Weibo, Baidu Video, Sohu, and Youku Tudou. Some videos reportedly gained viral circulation, giving the network a digital audience beyond its formal television footprint. The network was described as funded by CDH Venture Partners, while local Chinese governments were also identified as revenue sources. The available material does not provide a verified launch date, detailed corporate history, later ownership changes, financial results, or a confirmed closure date. The official website is preserved in reference material through an archived snapshot from 2014, but that evidence alone does not establish whether the service continued afterward. BON's present status therefore remains uncertain. Historically, it represents a privately backed attempt to build an English-language, China-originated television and online media brand for international consumption.

• 2014

  International television distribution documented

  [1]Blue Ocean Network - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  As of December 2014, the network described carriage on Dish Network in the United States, Sky in Great Britain, MHz Networks in Washington, D.C., and broadcast or cable outlets in more than 30 U.S. states.

• Network established as a private English-language China broadcaster

  [1]Blue Ocean Network - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  Blue Ocean Network operated as a privately owned English-language television network producing China-focused news and feature programming for international viewers. The supplied sources do not establish a precise founding year.

A privately owned China-based English-language broadcaster presenting news, analysis, and cultural features for international viewers, with an editorial emphasis on programming produced from and about China.

• News program

  China Price Watch

  A BON news program focused on prices, commerce, and economic developments in China. The title formed part of the network's broader effort to interpret China-related business and market subjects for English-speaking international viewers.

• News program

  China Beat

  A China-focused news program included among BON's reported news offerings. Available reference material does not provide a detailed episode history, format description, or operating dates.

• News and analysis program

  China Take

  A BON program presenting China-related news or analysis for the network's English-language audience. The supplied sources identify the title but do not document its full format or production period.

• Digital and social-affairs news program

  MicroBlog Buzz

  A program associated with BON's coverage of online discussion and social-media activity. Its inclusion reflected the network's interest in digital public conversation and emerging forms of Chinese media engagement.

• News and interview program

  On the Level

  A BON news or discussion offering listed among the network's programming. The available reference does not specify its hosts, broadcast dates, or detailed editorial format.

• Media affairs program

  Media Watch

  A program dealing with media-related topics within BON's English-language China coverage. It complemented the network's broader interest in public discourse, communications, and the changing Chinese media environment.

• Culture and lifestyle television

  Cultural and travel programming

  BON also produced reality travel shows, talk shows, educational programs, and features covering travel, art and creativity, health and living, business, and technology. These offerings broadened the network beyond hard news and presented China through cultural and everyday-life subjects.

1. 1Blue Ocean Network - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Blue Ocean Network official websitebon.tv
3. 3蓝海电视 - 维基百科zh.wikipedia.org
4. 4Blue Ocean Network - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5备案dnspod.qcloud.com