Psychographics

Tracking Active Subscriptions With Passive Data

Published June 25, 2025

Uses passive data modeling to accurately track subscriptions and evolving consumer behavior.

Grid of subscription service logos (streaming, GenAI, gaming, and gym memberships) layered over a passive data signal graphic

Subscription behaviour doesn't sit still. People rotate between streaming services every couple of months chasing new content, better value, or a lower price, and a one-time survey response is stale almost as soon as it's collected. Understanding who is genuinely, currently subscribed to what requires watching behaviour continuously, not asking about it once and hoping it holds.

Learn who is actively subscribed to a service

Gener8 runs passive data modelling daily to identify individuals showing strong, ongoing subscription signals. When Netflix raised UK prices in February, our panel showed only 8% of subscribers going 60 days inactive, barely above the typical baseline, and a clear sign churn stayed muted. That read matched what Netflix told shareholders directly: CFO Spence Neumann described retention as "strong and stable," with "no meaningful changes to our retention story." Passive data caught the real picture in near real time, without waiting on a quarterly earnings call.

Line chart showing 60-day inactivity rate for Netflix UK subscribers holding flat through the February price increase

8%of Netflix UK subscribers went 60-day inactive after the February price rise, in line with normal churn, not above it.

How do we infer active subscriptions through passive data modelling?

The model combines three data sources: Consumer Browsing (search terms and site visits), Purchase Intelligence (brand and item purchases across merchants), and App Usage (which applications people actually open).

Diagram of Gener8's passive data modelling framework, combining Consumer Browsing, Purchase Intelligence, and App Usage signals into a single subscription read

Search intent signals are layered against browsing, purchase, and usage frequency, with confidence scored by how deep and how recent the activity is: a subscription only counts as "active" once the signal strength clears that bar. The resulting behavioural columns span far beyond a single category: gym memberships; streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, and YouTube Premium; GenAI services like ChatGPT, Gemini Advanced, and Claude; and gaming subscriptions such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass.

Table of new subscription categories tracked across gym, streaming, GenAI, and gaming services

How can I access this data?

Active subscription data enriches audience profiles and pen portraits, speeds up respondent categorisation for survey work, and, critically, lets declared answers be checked against actual behaviour. Where survey responses and passive signals diverge, that gap is often the most useful insight of all. Get in touch to see how active subscription signals can strengthen your own audience profiles.