The Blue Ocean Network (BON TV), a free-to-view TV channel focusing on a rapidly changing China, launched in July after a one year trial in Beijing.

Logo of the Blue Ocean Network (BON TV)

Unlike government-backed China Central Television (CCTV) and the newly debuted Xinhua TV, BON declares itself to be privately owned and independent.

Owned and cross-managed by Skyarc Media Group and produced in China, it will be the nation's first private English-language television network for the West, fulfilling the growing demand in the West for information about this ancient country.

However, to some observers keeping eyes on China, it's difficult to believe a private TV network is permitted in the country.

On June 8, David Shambaugh published an article in the New York Times titled "China Flexes Its Soft Power," insisting that BON TV was established to help the government obtain what it wants through co-option and attraction.

In the article, Shambaugh stated that China also funded a series of English and Chinese language television stations abroad, such as Great Wall TV in the United States.

Justin Ku, co-founder of BON TV, failed to convince the author to correct the message he gave. He wrote a letter to New York Times to clear his network's name.

"Although our offices are located in Beijing, we are in no way funded by any arm of the Chinese government, or by any of its associated state-owned enterprises," Ku said in the letter. "The government does not vet our content and the venture-capital firm backing us is far more interested in its rate of return than it is in micromanaging our content to ensure political correctness."

BON CEO Zhuge Hongyun also responded at a press conference on July 8 in Beijing, where the TV newsrooms are located.

"Running a private English-language TV network is unprecedented in China," she said. "In the last two years we met many difficulties with the financial crisis and the world economy's slowdown. We insisted that BON should be private and independent."

After meeting dozens of refusals from venture capital investors, many friends suggested that Ku and Zhuge ask the Chinese government for help. They rejected the suggestion.

In March, BON received an investment from Shanghai-based D-hui venture-capital firm (CDHVC).

"The initial investment is over ten million U.S. dollars," said Wang Shu, co-founder of CDHVC. He refused to reveal the shares it takes in BON after this investment is made.

"BON will become the primary bridge between China and the world," Zhuge said.

"To win the public trust, BON will operate in accordance with the practice and rules of the western press and focus on original programs," she said.

The network goes beyond news and entertainment by offering online resources and practical learning, such as Mandarin and Chinese cooking lessons and insight into Eastern business practices, Chinese art and politics, Zhuge said. The network also welcomes new ideas, shows and short films from international directors to enrich its content, she said.

The network's programs are now available via satellite in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. BON is also accessible by local cable TV providers in?United States cities, including New York, Los Angels, Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago and Hawaii.