Netflix will have passed the 150 million global subscriber mark when it reports its latest results this week, as new releases such as the comedy Sex Education and grittier fare including Marvel’s The Punisher lure viewers to sign up.

Netflix has guided that it expects to announce just under 9 million new paying subscribers when it reports first-quarter results on Tuesday, taking its global paid base to 148 million. It also has about 8 million subscribers on 30-day free trials.

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The company is expected to post a healthy increase in revenues – up by as much as a fifth – on the back of the subscriber increases, fuelled by growth in international markets. About 80% of new subscribers come from markets outside the US.

Wall Street will be closely watching whether new customers numbers have been affected by a price rise, announced for the US market in January. The real test is likely to be seen in the company’s second-quarter results, as the price rise is fully rolled out to all of its 60 million US base.

The extra cash generated from the price increase, which is expected to be rolled out to mature markets such as Europe at some point, will help fund Netflix’s ever-increasing programme-making and licensing budget.

It is set to spend as much as $15bn this year as it gears up for a costly battle against a slew of new rivals entering the streaming market. Last week Disney announced further details of its new service, Disney+, which will launch in the US in November, backed by content spanning Star Wars, the Marvel superhero universe and Pixar, home to Finding Nemo and Toy Story.