Marvel's Luke Cage drama is a recent feather in the cap for Netflix.

The company’s share price has shot up nearly 20 per cent this week after it released its latest quarterly earnings report revealing the company exceeded expectations, reeling in about a million more global customers than previously forecast.

Netflix had predicted it would add 300,00 new US subscribers and 2.3 million international subscribers this quarter, however the estimates proved a tad conservative.

On Monday in the US Netflix said it added 3.57 million new streaming subscribers, including 3.2 million overseas and 370,000 in the US.

The company reported total revenue increase of 32 per cent after raking in $3 billion ($US2.29 billion) while the company’s net income leapt 75 per cent to $68 million ($US52 million). Per share earnings for the quarter were also better than expected.

Investors were thrilled with the international progress and the better-than-expected showing in the US and as a result Netflix’s stock surged nearly 20 per cent to $119.91 in extended trading.

The company believes the strong numbers are due to public excitement over its commitment to original content. Netflix is pumping billion of dollars into producing its own shows with the aim to have half of all content on the service produced and owned by Netflix in the next few years.

The company said it plans to release more than 1000 hours of premium original programming in 2017, up from about 600 hours this year.

Co-founder and CEO of Netflix Reed Hastings speaks onstage during The New Yorker TechFest 2016 this month. Picture: Craig BarrittSource:Getty Images

CHINA REMAINS A CHALLENGE

The posted earnings served to quell concerns of slowing growth for Netflix but the company has admitted it has had to change tact with its bid to enter the all important Chinese market.

Notably missing from Netflix’s global footprint is the insular Chinese market as government regulations make it increasingly difficult.

“The regulatory environment for foreign digital content services in China has become challenging,” Netflix said in a letter to shareholders.

“We now plan to license content to existing online service providers in China rather than operate our own service in China in the near term.”

Netflix said it expected revenue from licensing content to providers in China to be modest, and that it still has “a long term desire to serve the Chinese people directly” with its own service there.