US: YouTube, the Google-owned video-sharing giant, has announced it will permanently shut down its Trending page and remove the Trending Now list in the coming weeks.
Introduced in 2015, the Trending page was created to showcase the most-watched and talked-about videos globally. However, YouTube says the feature has seen a steep decline in user engagement over the past five years, largely due to how users now discover trends through Shorts, Communities, and personalized recommendations.
YouTube explained that what once worked as a single list of universally viral videos no longer reflects the platform’s evolving content landscape. Today’s trends, the company noted, are shaped by specific fandoms and communities, resulting in multiple micro-trends happening simultaneously.
“With so many niche communities and dynamic content categories, a single list no longer captures what’s trending for everyone,” YouTube said.
This has made it increasingly difficult for YouTube to compile and maintain a single, comprehensive Trending list, leading to its decision to phase it out and replace it with more relevant, segmented tools.
To better surface popular content, YouTube is rolling out a more refined approach with category-specific charts:
- Trending Music Videos
- Trending Movie Trailers
- Weekly Top Podcast Shows
These will be available on YouTube Charts, helping users explore what’s popular within individual content categories. The company also confirmed that more categories will be added over time.
For the gaming community, the Gaming Explore page will continue to serve as the central destination for trending content in that genre.
Apart from charts, YouTube will lean further into personalized recommendations to help users discover relevant and timely content. These suggestions, based on user behavior and interests, aim to create a more organic viewing experience.
The retirement of the Trending page signals a strategic shift in how YouTube adapts to evolving viewing habits. With the rise of Shorts, Communities, and algorithm-driven discovery, YouTube is aiming to create a more dynamic, personalized experience.
