Netflix on Thursday apologized for allowing hired extras to misrepresent themselves as potential Netflix customers and speak to the news media at a launch event for Netflix in Canada.

"Simply put: we blew it," Steve Swasey, vice president of corporate communications, wrote in a blog post.

Netflix expanded its business into Canada this week, and held a launch event in Toronto to publicize the new service. Canada's Globe and Daily Mail reported Wednesday, however, that many of the people at the launch event were hired by Netflix, and some of them gave interviews to the press as excited potential customers.

"Extras are to behave as members of the public, out and about enjoying their day-to-day life, who happen upon a street event for Netflix and stop by to check it out," according to a data sheet handed to extras. "Extras are to look really excited, particularly if asked by media to do any interviews about the prospect of Netflix in Canada."

Swasey said Thursday that the extras were hired to appear in a corporate video about the Canadian launch.

"It turns out, [they] were given improper direction to talk with the news media about their enthusiasm for the Netflix service," Swasey said. "This was a mistake and was not intended to be part of our launch plan."

"We didn't intend to mislead the media or the public, and we can understand why some have raised questions," he continued. "We're sorry that our misfire has given Canadians any reasons to doubt our authenticity or our sincerity."