YouTube has phased out its Trending and Trending Now pages, ending a characteristic that when showcased what was common on the platform. The change took impact in July 2025 and adjustments how individuals uncover movies on YouTube. Somewhat than selling a single listing of prime content material, the platform is leaning into AI-driven suggestions and genre-specific charts that mirror every viewer’s preferences.
The transfer displays the development of individuals discovering content material from personalised feeds, not static lists. YouTube Shorts, search behaviour, and interest-driven communities have taken over as the primary methods individuals have interaction with new movies. With greater than two billion customers worldwide, a one-size-fits-all strategy to “what’s trending” now not is sensible.
Why the Trending web page misplaced relevance
Over the previous 5 years, YouTube noticed a noticeable drop in site visitors to its Trending tab. Most customers now discover movies via suggestions on their Dwelling feed, search outcomes, or whereas scrolling via Shorts. The manually curated nature of the Trending web page couldn’t sustain with how rapidly viewer pursuits shift – or how otherwise individuals have interaction with content material relying on the place they’re or what they watch.
The platform’s world scale additionally contributed to the choice. A single listing of common content material merely doesn’t mirror the wide selection of pursuits in languages, areas, and genres. For a lot of customers, the Trending tab had turn out to be disconnected from their every day viewing habits.
What’s changing Trending?
Rather than the final listing, YouTube is rolling out topic-based charts. This embrace sections devoted to trending music movies, weekly prime podcasts, common film trailers, and gaming content material. The brand new charts are designed to mirror what’s gaining traction in particular genres or areas – making them extra helpful and well timed than a catch-all feed.
The Discover tab can also be getting refreshed. It’s being expanded to incorporate clearer classes like vogue, tech, wellness, and native. The redesign goals to assist customers browse by curiosity and discover content material that aligns extra carefully with what they care about.
The rise of Shorts and algorithmic discovery
The shift towards short-form video has additionally modified the best way content material spreads. With YouTube Shorts, viewers usually uncover trending movies with out trying to find them. The format’s vertical structure and countless scroll make it straightforward to discover new creators or matters, which reduces the necessity for a separate trending web page.
YouTube now depends on machine studying and behavioural alerts – like watch historical past, regional traits, and engagement patterns – to advocate movies that may really feel extra private and well timed. The information-driven system is, the corporate says, extra versatile and responsive than a manually curated listing, and it displays the platform’s push towards individualised discovery.
Serving to creators get found
YouTube hasn’t simply modified the best way viewers discover content material – it’s additionally introducing new instruments to assist creators keep seen. The brand new Inspiration tab provides creators tailor-made options based mostly on their viewers’s pursuits. It highlights trending matters, recommends video concepts, and makes use of AI to recommend content material themes prone to attraction to viewers.
Different options are being examined to highlight newer creators. One instance is Hype, a characteristic launched in India that lets followers increase the visibility of rising expertise. YouTube can also be persevering with its Creators on the Rise program, which promotes up-and-coming channels on official pages and the Discover tab. The instruments give creators extra methods to develop, particularly in niches that don’t depend on viral moments.
By retiring the Trending web page, YouTube is becoming a member of different platforms like TikTok and Spotify in prioritising content material relevance over mass attraction. Customers need movies that match their pursuits – not a normal listing formed by total view counts. The change helps smaller creators attain the proper audiences and permits viewers to spend extra time with content material that feels private.
(Photograph by Christian Wiediger)
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