Netflix is to begin ordering documentaries as part of its programming drive.

The move, which could also stretch to include original movies, will offer a number of opportunities for US and international producers.

To date Netflix has focussed on commisisoning drama and comedy, including House Of Cards and Arrested Development.

The shift into new genres comes as the VoD service revealed that it had added 610,000 international subscribers in the three months to 30 June, taking its total global customer base to 7.75m - including 7m premium customers.

As part of its second quarter financial results, Netflix said international revenues had grown to $166m over the period - from $65m in the same period the previous year. However, it still recorded a loss of $66m as a result of its global expansion, which includes a launch in the Netherlands later this year.

Speaking via a YouTube-powered investor call, chief executive Reed Hastings said: “We’re going to expand in the coming months into original stand-up comedy specials and documentaries that will premiere on Netflix to be exclusive. There is no reason we wouldn’t do some of those other [genres], including movies.”

The move will further increase the competition between Netflix and rival HBO, which has a burgeoning factual and comedy division.

The VoD provider is also planning to retain all of the rights to more of its original content. For instance, Netflix’s high profile series House of Cards is produced by Media Rights Capital and distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television, while its latest series, Orange Is The New Black is backed by Lionsgate.

Hastings said fully owning content formed part of its part of its long term strategy. “It’s something we’re looking at and there are so many graduations between what full ownership is in every territory. But think of it as over time we’ll do more and more of that - and the content will be more and more exclusive to Netflix,” he added.

Netflix, which is currently available in the US, Canada, Latin America, Scandinavia and the UK and Ireland, will continue to launch in new markets in the 2014.

It told investors that it expects to add a further 900,000 subs in the third quarter of the year, taking its total subs to 8.65m of which it hopes 7.75m will pay.

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