Yes. Google launched Demand Gen in October 2023 as the next generation of Discovery campaigns and upgraded existing Discovery campaigns to Demand Gen through early 2024. Discover is still a placement inside Demand Gen, which has since also absorbed Video action campaigns and is now absorbing Display campaigns.
Google framed it as an upgrade rather than a shutdown. Its announcement on October 10, 2023 called Demand Gen "the next generation of Discovery campaigns", so Discovery campaigns were upgraded instead of switched off.
What changed from Discovery to Demand Gen?
Demand Gen kept the feeds Discovery used and added a lot around them:
- More placements. As of November 2026, Demand Gen serves on YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Google Display Network.
- More formats in one campaign. Image, video, carousel and product feed ads.
- Lookalike segments. Google combines your first-party lists with its own signals to find similar new customers.
- Channel controls. You can choose which channels each ad group uses, or leave it on all Google channels.
- Click and conversion bidding. Maximize clicks, conversion-based and value-based bidding are all available.
What else has moved into Demand Gen?
Discovery was only the first campaign type folded into Demand Gen.
| Old campaign type | What happened | When |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Upgraded to Demand Gen | October 2023 to early 2024 |
| Video action campaigns | Creation removed, then existing campaigns upgraded automatically | No new ones from April 2025, automatic upgrades from July 2025, final deadline April 2026 |
| Google Display Ads | Moving into Demand Gen as the Google Display Network channel | Migration tool rolling out in phases from June 2026; automatic migration of remaining campaigns comes later |
For Display, Google says its migration tool carries over up to 42 days of performance history to cut learning time. The original Display campaigns are set to "Removed" but stay in your account for reporting for up to five years.
What does this mean for your account?
If you search for "Discovery ads" today, you are really looking at Demand Gen. The Discover feed still exists as a placement: it is now one of the channels a Demand Gen campaign can use, and Performance Max can serve there too.
My take: don't compare Demand Gen results line by line with old Discovery reports. The inventory is different, since Demand Gen adds YouTube and the Display Network, so treat it as a new baseline. Use channel controls if you want to see how one surface performs on its own.
For how Demand Gen compares with Google's other AI campaign type, see the difference between Demand Gen and Performance Max. To go deeper, read what Demand Gen ads are and where Demand Gen ads show.
Sources
- Google Blog: Demand more from social with AI-powered ads - https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/demand-more-from-social-with-ai-powered-ads/
- Google Ads Help: About Demand Gen campaigns - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13695777
- Google Ads Help: Video Action Campaigns are being upgraded to Demand Gen - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15110871
- Google Ads Help: Google Display Ads campaigns have a new home in Demand Gen - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17051545