Note 1 - Organization and Nature of Operations

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]

Nature of Operations [Text Block]

1. Organization and nature of operations

ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Texas in April 2006 and re-domiciled to become a Nevada corporation in October 2006. From the date of the Company’s incorporation until June 26, 2009, when the Company consummated the Share Exchange (discussed below), the Company’s activities were primarily concentrated in web server access and company branding in hosting web based e-games.

On June 26, 2009, the Company entered into a Share Exchange Agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”), with (i) China Net Online Media Group Limited, a company organized under the laws of British Virgin Islands (“China Net BVI”), (ii) China Net BVI’s shareholders, who together owned shares constituting 100% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares of China Net BVI (the “China Net BVI Shares”) and (iii) G. Edward Hancock, the principal stockholder of the Company at that time. Pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, the China Net BVI Shareholders transferred to the Company all of the China Net BVI Shares in exchange for the issuance of 13,790,800 shares (the “Exchange Shares”) in the aggregate of the Company’s common stock (the “Share Exchange”). As a result of the Share Exchange, China Net BVI became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and the Company is now a holding company, which, through certain contractual arrangements with operating companies in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”), is engaged in providing advertising, marketing, communication, online to offline (O2O) sales channel expansion and the related data services to small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) in China.

The Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, China Net BVI was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands on August 13, 2007. On April 11, 2008, China Net BVI became the parent holding company of a group of companies comprised of CNET Online Technology Limited, a Hong Kong company (“China Net HK”), which established and is the parent company of Rise King Century Technology Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd., a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (“WFOE”) established in the PRC (“Rise King WFOE”). The Company refers to the transactions that resulted in China Net BVI becoming an indirect parent company of Rise King WFOE as the “Offshore Restructuring.”

PRC regulations prohibit direct foreign ownership of business entities providing internet content, or ICP services in the PRC, and restrict foreign ownership of business entities engaging in the advertising business. To satisfy PRC laws and regulations, the Company conducts certain business in the PRC through its Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”). Through a series of contractual agreements (the “Contractual Agreements” or “VIE Agreements”) between Rise King WFOE and Business Opportunity Online (Beijing) Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Business Opportunity Online”), Beijing CNET Online Advertising Co., Ltd. (“Beijing CNET Online”) (collectively the “PRC Operating Entities” or the “VIEs”) and its common individual owners (the “PRC Shareholders” or the “Control Group”), the Company, through Rise King WFOE, secures significant rights to influence the PRC Operating Entities’ business operations, policies and management, approve all matters requiring shareholder approval, and the right to receive 100% of the income earned by the PRC Operating Entities. In return, Rise King WFOE provides consulting services to the PRC Operating Entities. In addition, to ensure that the PRC Operating Entities and the PRC Shareholders perform their obligations under the Contractual Arrangements, the PRC Shareholders have pledged all of their equity interests in the PRC Operating Entities to Rise King WFOE. They also entered into an option agreement with Rise King WFOE which provides that at such time as when the current restrictions under PRC law on foreign ownership of Chinese companies engaging in the Internet content, information services or advertising business in China are lifted, Rise King WFOE may exercise its option to purchase the equity interests in the PRC Operating Entities, directly.

Pursuant to the Contractual Agreements, all of the equity owners' rights and obligations of the VIEs were assigned to Rise King WFOE, which resulted in the equity owners lacking the ability to make decisions that have a significant effect on the VIEs, Rise King WFOE's ability to extract the profits from the operation of the VIEs and assume the residual benefits of the VIEs. Due to the fact that Rise King WFOE and its indirect parent are the sole interest holders of the VIEs, the Company included the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of the VIEs in its consolidated financial statements, which is consistent with the provisions of FASB Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 810 “Consolidation”, subtopic 10.

As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s VIE, Beijing CNET Online is a 51% shareholder of Shanghai Borongdingsi Computer Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Borongdingsi”), a 19% shareholder of Guohua Shiji (Beijing) Communication Co., Ltd. (“Guohua Shiji”), a 10% stockholder of Chuangshi Meiwei (Beijing) International Investment Management Co., Ltd. (“Chuangshi Meiwei”) and a 10% shareholder of Beijing Saturday Education Technology Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Saturday”). Business Opportunity Online is a 51% shareholder of Beijing Chuang Fu Tian Xia Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Chuang Fu Tian Xia”), the sole shareholder of Business Opportunity Online (Hubei) Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Business Opportunity Online Hubei”), the sole shareholder of Quanzhou City Zhilang Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Quanzhou Zhi Lang”), the sole shareholder of Beijing Chuang Shi Xin Qi Advertising Media Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Chuang Shi Xin Qi”), the sole shareholder of Beijing Hong Da Shi Xing Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Hong Da Shi Xing”), the sole shareholder of Beijing Shi Ji Cheng Yuan Advertising Media Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Shi Ji Cheng Yuan”) and a 23.18% shareholder of Shenzhen City Mingshan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shenzhen Mingshan”). Business Opportunity Online Hubei is the sole shareholder of Hubei CNET Advertising Media Co., Ltd. (“Hubei CNET”), the sole shareholder of Sheng Tian Network Technology (Hubei) Co., Ltd. (“Sheng Tian Hubei”) and a 25.5% shareholder of Zhao Shang Ke Network Technology (Hubei) Co., Ltd. (“Zhao Shang Ke Hubei”).

During 2015, the Company incorporated two new wholly-owned investment holding companies, ChinaNet Investment Holding Ltd, a British Virgin Islands company (“ChinaNet Investment BVI”), and ChinaNet Online Holdings Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“ChinaNet Online PRC”). ChinaNet Investment BVI co-incorporated ChinaNet Online Holdings Korea (“ChinaNet Korea”) with three unaffiliated individuals and beneficially own 40% equity interest in ChinaNet Korea. ChinaNet Online PRC co-incorporated ChinaNet Chuang Tou (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (“ChinaNet Chuang Tou”) with two unaffiliated individuals and beneficially own 19% equity interest in ChinaNet Chuang Tou. As of the date hereof, there companies are still in its setup period and have not started its operations, respectively.

The Company operated its business primarily in China through its PRC subsidiaries and PRC operating entities, or VIEs as discussed above.