Recently, YouTube platform announced that it will stop operating the "Trending" page - one of the features that was once considered a "golden brand" reflecting the level of popularity of videos on this platform.
Instead, YouTube has moved to a model that displays popular content in each specific category on the YouTube Charts system, including: Trending music videos, weekly Podcasts, and movie Trailers of Interest.
"This approach helps us expand the range of popular content in a way that is close to each person's interests, while reflecting the new video exploration habits of current users," YouTube explained.
In addition, the platform also shared: "In 2015, when the Trending page was launched, a general list was enough to reflect "feverish" videos.
But now, the trend is being created from a variety of fandoms and micro-trends are becoming more and more popular."
The platform also said that current users often access popular content through personalized recommendations, searches, and comments, instead of going directly to the Trending tab.
According to Tech Crunch, in the past 5 years, the number of visits to this page has decreased significantly - and that is a reasonable reason for YouTube to "dead" the feature that was once an icon.
YouTube also continues to support content creators to grasp trends using the inspiration Tab tool in YouTube Studio - providing personalized ideas based on viewers.
At the same time, the platform said it is developing many new features to help young creators get noticed, such as "Hype" - a feature that allows audiences to diffuse new videos that they love.
In Vietnam, YouTube's Trending chart was once considered a "golden ticket" proving the success of an artist or music product.
"Being a top Trending" not only brings views but is also a measure of media coverage, sometimes also determining the release strategy, artist brand positioning or investment level from brands.
However, with the overall trending list removed, the criteria for assessing the spread of music on YouTube will certainly change.
Now, success depends not only on the position on the rankings, but also on whether the product is recommended to the right viewers, appears in a specialized category (such as Top Music videos) and is naturally spread to the audience or not.
Right now, the Vietnamese YouTube music chart is still dominated by videos from entertainment programs such as "Em xinh say hi", "Sing! Asia"... but in the near future, the concept of "trending" may no longer mean being seen by everyone.
