‘House of Cards’ helps drive Netflix shares

Netflix has been a Wall Street favourite throughout the year, with the company’s shares more than doubling since the start of 2015 to hold the title of top performing stock in the S&P 500. The firm reported earnings on Wednesday night.

The company’s internet TV service grew to 65.6m subscribers in the second quarter, with many attributing that growth to the popularity of Netflix’s original series such as Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.

Analysts were also keeping a close eye on the growth in subscribers outside of the US market. Netflix also won on this measure, with subscribers jumping by 2.37m to 23.3m internationally versus analyst estimates of a 1.94m increase.