YouTube just announced it’s getting rid of its main Trending page and the “Trending Now” list. Instead of showing one big list of what’s popular across the platform, YouTube will now highlight trending videos by category through its YouTube Charts. The shift will come into effect in the next couple of weeks.
The new charts now break things down by category—like Trending Music Videos, Weekly Top Podcast Shows, and Trending Movie Trailers. YouTube says it’s planning to roll out even more content categories down the line.
“Along with highlighting popular content in charts, we’ll keep showing viewers the videos that we think they’ll love through personalized recommendations,” the company stated in a blog post. “This way, we can show a wider range of popular content that’s relevant, and it feels more natural to how viewers already find new videos,” the company added.
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YouTube says this change reflects how people actually discover trending content now. Back in 2015, when the Trending page first launched, it was easier to showcase viral videos in one simple list—but today, what’s popular varies a lot more across different communities and interests.
“The Inspiration Tab in YouTube Studio will keep giving creators personalized ideas to help them spot the next big thing for their channel,” YouTube stated in the blog post. “We’re also creating new ways to give up-and-coming creators a boost and help them get discovered, like our ‘Hype’ feature that lets viewers amplify fresh videos they love.”
The company says this shift is happening because trends today aren’t just driven by a few big viral hits—they’re shaped by tons of different creators and communities, creating more micro-trends than ever.
On top of that, people aren’t really using the Trending tab like they used to. Instead, they’re discovering what’s hot through recommendations, search results, and even the comments section. With personalized algorithms doing most of the work now, YouTube says visits to the old Trending page have steadily dropped over the past five years.
YouTube now is a big platform for both short and long-form content—from independent creators to big media companies. Earning money from the content published on the platform has been a primary source of revenue for many.
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Recently, the company announced that its monetization policy is set to change from July 15. YouTube’s new monetization rules are cracking down on low-effort, repetitive content—especially videos that are mass-produced or rely heavily on AI and cookie-cutter templates. The goal is to make sure only original, high-quality content earns revenue.
“In order to monetize as part of the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube has always required creators to upload ‘original’ and ‘authentic’ content. On July 15, 2025, we’re updating our guidelines to better identify mass-produced and repetitious content,” stated YouTube.
This means just hitting the basic requirements—like 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours (or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days) won’t make it anymore.