Chinese companies aren't the only ones interested in the country's blossoming online video market, Netflix said this week it was planning to expand to China. 

The firm, known for its US political thriller 'House of Cards', also plans to look at exporting content produced in China to the rest of the world, Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos told reporters at a talk in Shanghai on Monday.

Global firms are eyeing a slice of China's fast-growing entertainment market, but have often faced a rocky reception. Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have all been blocked in the country.

"It's unlikely that we would definitely pursue [a local partner model] as a strategy ... These ventures become very complex and very difficult to manage, and ultimately difficult to be successful," said Sarandos.

Without a local partner, Netflix would need to obtain multiple operating licenses on its own, something the firm has said previously may be a potential hold-up. The firm would need around eight different licenses to launch in China, Sarandos said, adding that business in the country was "subject to a censorship and regulatory environment that we haven't had to deal with."

Additional reporting by Reuters

The SCMP is your independent news source on China.

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