diff --git a/.changes/portals-cinematic-vod-details.md b/.changes/portals-cinematic-vod-details.md
index 318668e37..bb82f01ec 100644
--- a/.changes/portals-cinematic-vod-details.md
+++ b/.changes/portals-cinematic-vod-details.md
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ area: portals
 highlight: Cinematic movie and series pages
 ---
 
-Movie and series pages open on a full-height backdrop with chips, plot and one action row: a light Continue/Play button naming the next episode and the time left, a Trailer modal, and a "…" menu with other sources, external player, copy URL, reset progress and season actions. Cast & crew and Similar follow as rows; without a backdrop the blurred poster fills the stage.
+Movie and series pages open on a cinematic backdrop with chips, plot and one action row: a light Continue/Play button naming the next episode and the time left, a Trailer modal, and a "…" menu with other sources, external player, copy URL, reset progress and season actions. Cast & crew and Similar follow as rows. Without a 16:9 backdrop the hero shrinks to its content over the blurred poster.
diff --git a/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md b/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md
index 3e3a2295b..23433f05b 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md
@@ -158,9 +158,13 @@ VOD and series detail screens share `app-portal-detail-shell` and
 kind label ("Movie · playlist") → title → chips → description (three lines,
 "More") → resume bar → action row → credits, with the poster bottom-aligned
 on the left and the backdrop filling the hero behind a two-layer scrim built
-from `--app-content-bg`. Without a backdrop, or when the provider sends the
-poster as the backdrop, the blurred poster fills the stage. The pane is a
-size container (`detail`); the poster hides below 760px of pane width.
+from `--app-content-bg`. The hero keeps `min(480px, 60vh)` of stage for a
+16:9 backdrop. Without one, or when the provider sends the poster as the
+backdrop, the hero is compact (`hero--compact`, sized by its content) over
+the blurred poster. The layout is decided once per title, so a backdrop that
+TMDB enrichment adds a moment later fills the compact hero instead of
+growing it. The pane is a size container (`detail`); the poster hides below
+760px of pane width.
 
 The pieces are shared and provider-neutral (`libs/ui/components/src/lib/detail-ui/`):
 `app-meta-chip` (pill; `rating` and `status` variants; facets as projected
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.html b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.html
index 6bccf4046..2c0c27a9c 100644
--- a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.html
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.html
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <!-- Hero Section with Backdrop -->
-<section class="hero">
+<section class="hero" [class.hero--compact]="layout() === 'compact'">
     @if (errorMessage()) {
         <div class="hero__content hero__error">
             <mat-icon class="error-icon">cloud_off</mat-icon>
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.scss b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.scss
index 629dfd144..ec7392d26 100644
--- a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.scss
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.scss
@@ -18,8 +18,16 @@
     --text-secondary: var(--app-body-color, #9aa3b2);
     --text-muted: var(--app-muted-color, #6b7384);
     --accent-color: var(--app-selection-color, #78adff);
-    --tag-bg: color-mix(in srgb, var(--app-on-surface, #e6e1e5) 10%, transparent);
-    --tag-border: color-mix(in srgb, var(--app-on-surface, #e6e1e5) 14%, transparent);
+    --tag-bg: color-mix(
+        in srgb,
+        var(--app-on-surface, #e6e1e5) 10%,
+        transparent
+    );
+    --tag-border: color-mix(
+        in srgb,
+        var(--app-on-surface, #e6e1e5) 14%,
+        transparent
+    );
 
     width: 100%;
     display: block;
@@ -40,14 +48,20 @@
     display: flex;
     align-items: flex-end;
     width: 100%;
-    // The content column decides the height on a short window; on a tall one
-    // the hero caps at 72vh so the next block starts inside the first screen.
-    min-height: min(560px, 72vh);
+    // Room for a 16:9 backdrop above the content, capped so the episodes or
+    // cast row still starts inside the first screen of a desktop window.
+    min-height: min(480px, 60vh);
     box-sizing: border-box;
     // `overflow: hidden` clips the scaled blurred backdrop fallback.
     overflow: hidden;
     background: var(--surface-bg);
 
+    // Only the poster: nothing to show above the content, so the hero is
+    // sized by its content column over the blurred wash.
+    &--compact {
+        min-height: 0;
+    }
+
     &__backdrop {
         position: absolute;
         inset: 0;
@@ -110,7 +124,7 @@
         width: 100%;
         max-width: var(--content-max-width);
         margin: 0 auto;
-        padding: 72px 32px 24px;
+        padding: 48px 32px 24px;
         // Reserved by the detail shell while its sticky Back control shows.
         padding-inline-start: max(32px, var(--detail-back-lane, 0px));
         box-sizing: border-box;
@@ -388,7 +402,7 @@
     }
 
     .hero__content {
-        padding: 64px 20px 24px;
+        padding: 40px 20px 24px;
         padding-inline-start: max(20px, var(--detail-back-lane, 0px));
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.spec.ts b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.spec.ts
index b71299a4d..01f818f81 100644
--- a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.spec.ts
@@ -154,7 +154,9 @@ describe('ContentHeroComponent cinematic layout', () => {
         fixture.componentRef.setInput('posterUrl', 'poster.jpg');
         fixture.detectChanges();
         expect(
-            host().querySelector('.hero__backdrop--blurred img[src="poster.jpg"]')
+            host().querySelector(
+                '.hero__backdrop--blurred img[src="poster.jpg"]'
+            )
         ).toBeTruthy();
 
         fixture.componentRef.setInput('backdropUrl', 'poster.jpg');
@@ -169,6 +171,40 @@ describe('ContentHeroComponent cinematic layout', () => {
         ).toBeTruthy();
     });
 
+    it('keeps room for a real backdrop and sizes the hero by content without one', () => {
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('title', 'Poster only');
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('posterUrl', 'poster.jpg');
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        expect(host().querySelector('.hero--compact')).toBeTruthy();
+
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('title', 'With backdrop');
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('backdropUrl', 'wide.jpg');
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        expect(host().querySelector('.hero--compact')).toBeNull();
+
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('title', 'Poster twice');
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('backdropUrl', 'poster.jpg');
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        expect(host().querySelector('.hero--compact')).toBeTruthy();
+    });
+
+    it('does not grow when enrichment adds a backdrop to the same title', () => {
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('title', 'Late backdrop');
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('posterUrl', 'poster.jpg');
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        expect(host().querySelector('.hero--compact')).toBeTruthy();
+
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('backdropUrl', 'tmdb-wide.jpg');
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('posterUrl', 'tmdb-poster.jpg');
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        expect(host().querySelector('.hero--compact')).toBeTruthy();
+        expect(
+            host().querySelector(
+                'img.hero__backdrop-image[src="tmdb-wide.jpg"]'
+            )
+        ).toBeTruthy();
+    });
+
     it('places the actions before the credits slot', () => {
         fixture.componentRef.setInput('title', 'Black Harbor');
         fixture.detectChanges();
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.ts b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.ts
index 2084a665a..86c5126d3 100644
--- a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/content-hero/content-hero.component.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
     effect,
     inject,
     input,
+    linkedSignal,
     signal,
     untracked,
     viewChild,
@@ -17,6 +18,9 @@ import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { NgxSkeletonLoaderComponent } from 'ngx-skeleton-loader';
 import { HeroTrailerBackdropComponent } from '../detail-ui/hero-trailer-backdrop.component';
 
+/** `stage` keeps room for a 16:9 backdrop; `compact` is sized by the content. */
+export type ContentHeroLayout = 'stage' | 'compact';
+
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-content-hero',
     standalone: true,
@@ -68,7 +72,25 @@ export class ContentHeroComponent {
     readonly usesPosterBackdrop = computed(() => {
         const poster = this.posterUrl();
         const backdrop = this.backdropUrl();
-        return !!poster && (!backdrop || backdrop === poster) && !this.backdropError();
+        return (
+            !!poster &&
+            (!backdrop || backdrop === poster) &&
+            !this.backdropError()
+        );
+    });
+    private readonly hasRealBackdrop = computed(() => {
+        const backdrop = this.backdropUrl();
+        return !!backdrop && backdrop !== this.posterUrl();
+    });
+    /**
+     * Decided once per title: a backdrop that TMDB enrichment adds a moment
+     * later fills the compact hero instead of growing it under the user's
+     * cursor. The title survives the merge; the poster may not.
+     */
+    readonly layout = linkedSignal<string | undefined, ContentHeroLayout>({
+        source: () => this.title(),
+        computation: () =>
+            untracked(() => this.hasRealBackdrop()) ? 'stage' : 'compact',
     });
 
     readonly descriptionEl =