YouTube has officially announced plans to retire its longstanding Trending Page and the Now Trending list as of today, citing a steady decline in user engagement and a significant shift in how audiences discover new content on the platform.
The Trending Page, which launched in 2015, was originally designed to spotlight the most popular videos across the platform, allowing users to stay abreast of emerging trends and viral content. Over time, however, the feature became more of a benchmark for content creators to showcase the popularity of their uploads rather than a hub for genuine discovery.
In a blog post announcing the move earlier this month, YouTube explained that visits to the Trending Page have notably dropped over the past five years. The company attributes this to changing user behaviour, as viewers now predominantly rely on other parts of the platform, such as personalised recommendations, Shorts, search suggestions, comments, and the Community tab, to engage with trending content.
“YouTube’s Home Page and algorithm-driven suggestions have become the go-to sources for users to find popular and relevant content,” the company noted. “As personalisation continues to improve, users are naturally gravitating away from generalised lists like Trending.”
While the retirement of the Trending Page may mark the end of an era for some, YouTube reassured users that trending and popular content will remain accessible. The platform pointed to YouTube Charts, which already features trending music videos, top podcast shows, and movie trailers, as a new destination for discovering what’s gaining momentum. Plans are underway to expand Charts to include additional content categories in the near future.
Gaming enthusiasts will still be able to view trending videos via the dedicated Gaming Explore page, and all users can continue to explore content via the Explore tab, creator channels, and their subscription feeds.
For creators seeking inspiration, YouTube Studio’s Inspiration tab will continue offering personalised content ideas based on emerging trends and audience interests.
