Serrandos told new media age the company is keen to expand the original programming strategy it already has in place in the US. This has so far seen it revive former hit show Arrested Development and the commissioning of Lillyhammer, a drama featuring Sopranos star Steven Van Zandt.  

The US movie and TV streaming giant, which launched in the UK yesterday, has also commissioned a remake of the former British thriller House of Cards, which will debut later this year.

“One of the things I’m most excited about is increasing the production of UK-based and produced original programmes,” said Serrandos. “House of Cards, produced in the UK, is a perfect example of this and we want to replicate that more in the UK.” He added the next original show commission will be horror themed.

Netflix’s arrival in the UK has put it in direct competition with companies including Amazon-owned Lovefilm, YouTube’s film service and Tesco-owned Blinkbox. However, Serrandos said the fact the UK does not have to compete against a Hulu equivalent service will be of major benefit. He described both Lovefilm and Netflix streaming businesses as the “new media models” that will challenge the traditional TV- and film-viewing market.

Serrandos said there are no plans to recruit a UK-based team to lead the Europe expansion. “We have a team in the US that is entirely dedicated to running the UK and Ireland businesses and there are no plans to change that,” he said.

He also said the streaming giant would remain subscription only, adding that it would never incorporate advertising into the business.