Roadmap: new episode premieres and release slots

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/roadmap.md

@@ -121,6 +121,25 @@ A roadmap principle, not a request to build now. Films and specials aren't only
 
 Build them from what exists: day parts with days (events), film pools and rest periods, committed schedules, and the proposed events and highlights work. Keep scheduling and promotion separate. What's On and Tonight on Orbit may promote only what's actually booked in a committed schedule, with the channel's identity, title, artwork and start time, for example "Friday Movie Night on Vortex", "Tonight's Premiere", "Superhero Movie Special on Heroes" or "Saturday Classics on ToonZ". Preserve channel identities, approved titles and committed schedules.
 
+## New episode premieres and release slots (Paul, 3 November 2026)
+
+An extension of Living Network programming, recorded only. No code yet.
+
+When new episodes of a channel's established shows arrive in the library (an ongoing series like Dragon Ball, a new season, a weekly release, a returning series), Orbit should eventually:
+1. Notice them through catalogue refreshes and verified metadata.
+2. Work out which channels they belong to from the channel identities.
+3. Check release dates, episode order and existing programming slots.
+4. Suggest a premiere slot following that channel's own policy, for example the evening after a new Dragon Ball episode arrives on Vortex.
+5. Leave committed schedules alone. If the slot is already booked, use the next suitable uncommitted slot, or ask for approval for an explicit change.
+6. Prevent duplicate premieres, out-of-order broadcasts and confusing repeat announcements.
+7. Once approved and committed, promote it in What's On as, for example, "New on Vortex", with the real broadcast time.
+
+Keep three dates apart: the original release date, the date added to the library, and the first Orbit broadcast. A new arrival in the library isn't necessarily a newly released episode.
+
+Users choose per channel: suggested premieres for approval, automatic scheduling only within slots they've explicitly authorised, or ordinary rotation only.
+
+The aim is that each channel grows its own release-day traditions (regular premiere slots, movie nights, special events) that match its identity, across Vortex, Heroes, Paradox, Riot and the rest. Reuse the catalogue refresh, committed schedules, the approval workflow and the What's On work rather than building new machinery. Works alongside "Movie nights and specials on every channel" above.
+
 ## Future polish ideas
 
 Paul's ideas, 1 November 2026. Not fixes and not scheduled.