“Just 2 long-form video recommendations instead of 12, an 80% reduction that prioritizes Shorts over traditional videos.”
YouTube achieved revenue parity between Shorts and long-form content, and now the algorithm is following the money. Desktop homepage recommendations dropped from 12 long videos to 2, and desktop traffic fell from 56% to 39% over the past year. The platform added a Shorts filter to search in January, essentially acknowledging the formats have diverged enough that users need escape hatches. Long-form creators aren’t dead, but discovery through the homepage increasingly isn’t how they’ll find audiences.