The highly-anticipated third season of House Of Cards was briefly released online on Wednesday (11Feb15), two weeks before its planned premiere date, due to a technical glitch.

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright's Emmy Award-winning White House drama is scheduled to return to Internet streaming service Netflix on 27 February (15), but some lucky fans were able to get a sneak peek.

While footage was taken down almost immediately, some users were still able to view the premiere episode, posting stills from the new season online.

A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed the early release was due to "a technical glitch", adding "some Frank Underwood fans got a sneak peak (sic)."

And a post from the official House of Cards Twitter account read: "This is Washington. There's always a leak. All 13 episodes will launch February 27."

Spacey and Wright portray the scheming Underwoods in the hit political drama.