Roadmap: living network, new arrivals matched to channel identities (recorded, not planned)

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

docs/roadmap.md

@@ -83,6 +83,30 @@ Paul's direction, 2 November 2026, for after broadcast reliability is proven. Pr
 - **Not for this channel:** Paul can't judge every suggested title in advance, so unsure ones stay in as discovery, with an option to remove a title while it's airing. Proposed 2 November 2026, not built.
 - **Ownership:** rule-based and transparent, with lightweight preference signals. Learning can be switched off entirely and reset. No cloud, no mandatory AI, no uploading viewing history.
 
+## Living network: new arrivals by channel identity
+
+Paul's direction, 3 November 2026, for the core programming roadmap. Recorded only: no phase, no code.
+
+Orbit should feel like a living network. Each channel keeps its nostalgic identity, while new arrivals in the library are matched to the channels they suit and offered for future slots. Examples: new Dragon Ball episodes or suitable anime for Vortex's next evening, first Orbit screenings for Premiere, new superhero animation on Heroes, themed weekends at the Drive-In. What's On then promotes the confirmed results: New on Vortex tonight, Tonight's Movie Premiere, Special Marathon Weekend, New to Orbit, Coming This Weekend at the Drive-In.
+
+**Ground rules:** the scheduler decides what airs, and What's On only promotes confirmed programmes. New titles are suggested for future slots and never disturb committed plans. User choices and manual scheduling always win. Personal highlights come with profiles and never change the live broadcast. Provider-independent, explainable and lightweight, with no constant AI and no outside services.
+
+**What already exists to build on**
+
+| Need | Existing piece |
+| --- | --- |
+| Spotting new arrivals | The catalogue import reads the library oldest first by date added, so new titles are simply what's past the last position read. New episodes of shows already on a channel arrive by themselves at its weekly pool refresh. |
+| Channel identity | Each channel's curated list, day parts and suggestion rules (genres, years, ratings, exclusions). |
+| Suggest, then approve | The Titles review: suggestions with reasons, accepted and rejected choices saved per channel, nothing added without approval. |
+| Explaining choices | Phase 1 reasons on every planned programme. |
+| Separation and homes | The approved Phase 2 direction: primary homes as preferences, a 3 hour default window, a 24 hour episode rule, event overrides. |
+| Promotion | Tonight on Orbit and the event registry (Stage A approved in direction, not built). Hidden Gem already uses "never shown on Orbit". |
+| Events and weekends | The Drive-In planner, named bills and the Takeover definitions (Stage A). |
+
+**What would be new:** an arrivals check that compares new library items with every channel's rules and lists the matches with reasons, a "New" tag on a programme's first airing that promotion can read, and an optional "suggest a slot" step (for example, Vortex's next evening block) that becomes a normal approved choice. A first-airing event, such as a new film's Orbit premiere, would use the same event model as the Drive-In.
+
+**Depends on:** Phase 2 scheduling, Tonight on Orbit Stage B, profiles for personal highlights, and a provider abstraction before Plex or Jellyfin.
+
 ## Future polish ideas
 
 Paul's ideas, 1 November 2026. Not fixes and not scheduled.