Example: Subscription / Media (Showmax)

A streaming service like Showmax runs on trials converting to paid subscriptions, then on consumption habit: the more a subscriber watches, the more they retain — and lapses in watching predict churn. The Subscription / Media model is shaped around trial → subscribe → watch → renew, with an explicit cancel signal.

1. Events to instrument

Emit these from your apps and billing system, keyed by the viewer's external_id.

Your event               Fires when…                     Useful properties
----------------------   -----------------------------   -------------------------
trial_started            a viewer starts a free trial    plan, source
subscription_started     they convert to a paid plan     plan, price, currency
content_played           they watch a title              title_id, genre, minutes
subscription_cancelled   they cancel their plan          reason, plan

curl https://api.engageapp.xyz/api/v1/public/events \
  -H "X-API-Key: df_your_secret_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "events": [
      { "external_id": "viewer_2210", "event_name": "content_played",
        "properties": { "title_id": "T-5501", "genre": "drama", "minutes": 48 } }
    ]
  }'

2. Choose the model & map events

Pick Subscription / Media and map:

Canonical behavior       Role          Your event               Required?
----------------------   -----------   ----------------------   ---------
started_trial            acquisition   trial_started            required
subscribed               conversion    subscription_started     required
content_consumed         activity      content_played           required
subscription_canceled    churn         subscription_cancelled   optional

Watch volume (count of content_played) tiers up your most engaged viewers. Mapping the cancel event is strongly recommended — churn is the metric this model exists to fight.

3. Resulting lifecycle stages

Viewers are classified as trial → subscriber → engaged viewer → superfan → at-risk → churned. Ten plays make an engaged viewer; fifty make a superfan. A cancellation forces churned; a subscriber who stops watching slides to at-risk.

4. Opportunities & campaigns

• Onboarding stall — started a trial but never subscribed. Campaign: "your trial's ending — here's what you'll miss" with personalized picks.
• Post-conversion — just subscribed. Campaign: a welcome plus a watchlist tuned to their trial viewing.
• Re-engage dormant — subscribed but hasn't watched lately. Campaign: "new this week in [genre]" to rebuild the habit before renewal.
• High-value nurture — superfans (50+ plays). Campaign: early access, exclusive content, or a loyalty perk.
• Win back (churn) — cancelled. Campaign: a win-back offer highlighting new releases since they left.

There's no intent role here, so no cart-style abandon — the plays that matter are trial conversion and watch-habit retention.

5. Channels, autonomy & real-time

Email and push carry title recommendations and renewal nudges well. Start in review required, then automate re-engagement and win-back. Both subscription_started (conversion) and subscription_cancelled (churn) trigger real-time detection, so a new subscriber is welcomed — and a cancellation is countered — right away.

Next steps

• Start from the general integration guide.
• Selling seats to teams rather than individuals? Compare the SaaS example.