diff --git a/composeApp/src/commonMain/composeResources/values/strings.xml b/composeApp/src/commonMain/composeResources/values/strings.xml
index 6f54ce85a..aa83758b8 100644
--- a/composeApp/src/commonMain/composeResources/values/strings.xml
+++ b/composeApp/src/commonMain/composeResources/values/strings.xml
@@ -2072,11 +2072,11 @@
     <string name="updates_release_missing_title">Release has no tag or name</string>
     <!-- Continue Watching air date display -->
     <string name="cw_airs_date">Airs %1$s</string>
-    <string name="cw_airs_today">Airs today</string>
-    <string name="cw_airs_tomorrow">Airs tomorrow</string>
+    <string name="cw_airs_today">Airs Today</string>
+    <string name="cw_airs_tomorrow">Airs Tomorrow</string>
     <plurals name="cw_airs_in_days">
-        <item quantity="one">Airs in %1$d day</item>
-        <item quantity="other">Airs in %1$d days</item>
+        <item quantity="one">Airs in %1$d Day</item>
+        <item quantity="other">Airs in %1$d Days</item>
     </plurals>
     <string name="cw_airs_date_short">%1$s</string>
     <string name="cw_airs_today_short">Today</string>
diff --git a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/home/components/HomeContinueWatchingSection.kt b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/home/components/HomeContinueWatchingSection.kt
index 292afb191..04f1e3b2d 100644
--- a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/home/components/HomeContinueWatchingSection.kt
+++ b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/home/components/HomeContinueWatchingSection.kt
@@ -638,12 +638,12 @@ private fun ContinueWatchingCard(
         )
     }
     val todayIsoDate = CurrentDateProvider.todayIsoDate()
-    val compactAirDateText = if (item.progressFraction <= 0f && item.seasonNumber != null && item.episodeNumber != null) {
-        computeAirDateBadgeText(item.released, todayIsoDate, compact = true)
+    val airDateText = if (item.progressFraction <= 0f && item.seasonNumber != null && item.episodeNumber != null) {
+        computeAirDateBadgeText(item.released, todayIsoDate)
     } else {
         null
     }
-    val preferBackdropForNextUp = item.isNextUp && compactAirDateText != null && !item.isReleaseAlert
+    val preferBackdropForNextUp = item.isNextUp && airDateText != null && !item.isReleaseAlert
     val imageUrl = item.continueWatchingCardArtworkUrl(
         useEpisodeThumbnails = useEpisodeThumbnails,
         preferBackdropForNextUp = preferBackdropForNextUp,
@@ -654,8 +654,8 @@ private fun ContinueWatchingCard(
     } else {
         null
     }
-    val episodeTitle = item.episodeTitle?.trim()?.takeIf { it.isNotBlank() } ?: compactAirDateText
-    val badgeText = continueWatchingCardBadgeText(item = item, compactAirDateText = compactAirDateText)
+    val episodeTitle = item.episodeTitle?.trim()?.takeIf { it.isNotBlank() } ?: airDateText
+    val badgeText = continueWatchingCardBadgeText(item = item, airDateText = airDateText)
     val backgroundColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.background
     val badgeBackground = when {
         item.isNewSeasonRelease -> ContinueWatchingNewSeasonBadgeColor
@@ -800,7 +800,7 @@ private fun ContinueWatchingCard(
 @Composable
 private fun continueWatchingCardBadgeText(
     item: ContinueWatchingItem,
-    compactAirDateText: String?,
+    airDateText: String?,
 ): String {
     if (item.progressFraction > 0f) {
         if (item.durationMs <= 0L) {
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ private fun continueWatchingCardBadgeText(
     return when {
         item.isReleaseAlert && item.isNewSeasonRelease -> stringResource(Res.string.cw_new_season)
         item.isReleaseAlert -> stringResource(Res.string.cw_new_episode)
-        compactAirDateText != null -> compactAirDateText
+        airDateText != null -> airDateText
         else -> stringResource(Res.string.home_continue_watching_up_next)
     }
 }
@@ -903,7 +903,7 @@ private fun ContinueWatchingWideCard(
                                 else stringResource(Res.string.cw_new_episode)
                             }
                             else -> {
-                                computeAirDateBadgeText(item.released, todayIsoDate, compact = isCompact)
+                                computeAirDateBadgeText(item.released, todayIsoDate)
                                     ?: stringResource(Res.string.home_continue_watching_up_next)
                             }
                         }
@@ -1018,7 +1018,7 @@ private fun ContinueWatchingPosterCard(
                             else stringResource(Res.string.cw_new_episode)
                         }
                         else -> {
-                            computeAirDateBadgeText(item.released, todayIsoDate, compact = true)
+                            computeAirDateBadgeText(item.released, todayIsoDate)
                                 ?: stringResource(Res.string.home_continue_watching_up_next)
                         }
                     }
diff --git a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPolicies.kt b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPolicies.kt
index 92047bb28..020571dc6 100644
--- a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPolicies.kt
+++ b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPolicies.kt
@@ -58,7 +58,8 @@ internal fun shouldSurfaceNextEpisode(
             todayIsoDate = todayIsoDate,
             releasedDate = releasedDate,
         ) ?: return false
-        if (!showUnairedNextUp || daysUntilRelease <= 0) return false
+        if (daysUntilRelease <= 0) return true
+        if (!showUnairedNextUp) return false
         return !isSeasonRollover || daysUntilRelease <= UpcomingNextSeasonWindowDays
     }
     if (!isSeasonRollover) {
diff --git a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watchprogress/AirDateUtils.kt b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watchprogress/AirDateUtils.kt
index d2809caf9..d48bb51d6 100644
--- a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watchprogress/AirDateUtils.kt
+++ b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watchprogress/AirDateUtils.kt
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import co.touchlab.kermit.Logger
 fun computeAirDateBadgeText(
     releasedIso: String?,
     todayIsoDate: String,
-    compact: Boolean
 ): String? {
     if (releasedIso.isNullOrBlank() || todayIsoDate.isBlank()) {
         return null
@@ -31,22 +30,12 @@ fun computeAirDateBadgeText(
 
     return when {
         daysUntil < 0 -> null
-        daysUntil == 0 -> {
-            if (compact) stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_today_short)
-            else stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_today)
-        }
-        daysUntil == 1 -> {
-            if (compact) stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_tomorrow_short)
-            else stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_tomorrow)
-        }
-        daysUntil in 2..7 -> {
-            if (compact) pluralStringResource(Res.plurals.cw_airs_in_days_short, daysUntil, daysUntil)
-            else pluralStringResource(Res.plurals.cw_airs_in_days, daysUntil, daysUntil)
-        }
+        daysUntil == 0 -> stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_today)
+        daysUntil == 1 -> stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_tomorrow)
+        daysUntil in 2..7 -> pluralStringResource(Res.plurals.cw_airs_in_days, daysUntil, daysUntil)
         else -> {
             val formattedDate = formatReleaseDateWithoutYear(releasedIso)
-            if (compact) stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_date_short, formattedDate)
-            else stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_date, formattedDate)
+            stringResource(Res.string.cw_airs_date, formattedDate)
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/SeriesContinuityTest.kt b/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/SeriesContinuityTest.kt
index e619ae245..126d80696 100644
--- a/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/SeriesContinuityTest.kt
+++ b/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/SeriesContinuityTest.kt
@@ -285,6 +285,26 @@ class SeriesContinuityTest {
         assertEquals("s1e2", nextEpisode.videoId)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun nextReleasedEpisodeAfter_keeps_dated_unavailable_episode_on_release_day() {
+        val episodes = listOf(
+            WatchingReleasedEpisode(videoId = "s1e1", seasonNumber = 1, episodeNumber = 1, title = "Episode 1", releasedDate = "2026-07-01"),
+            WatchingReleasedEpisode(videoId = "s1e2", seasonNumber = 1, episodeNumber = 2, title = "Episode 2", releasedDate = "2026-07-12T20:00:00", available = false),
+        )
+
+        val nextEpisode = nextReleasedEpisodeAfter(
+            content = show,
+            episodes = episodes,
+            seasonNumber = 1,
+            episodeNumber = 1,
+            todayIsoDate = "2026-07-12",
+            showUnairedNextUp = true,
+        )
+
+        assertNotNull(nextEpisode)
+        assertEquals("s1e2", nextEpisode.videoId)
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun decideSeriesPrimaryAction_falls_back_to_specials_when_no_main_season() {
         val specialsOnly = listOf(
diff --git a/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPoliciesTest.kt b/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPoliciesTest.kt
index 33d3f12ed..b5da7cd1b 100644
--- a/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPoliciesTest.kt
+++ b/composeApp/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/nuvio/app/features/watching/domain/WatchingPoliciesTest.kt
@@ -114,6 +114,20 @@ class WatchingPoliciesTest {
         )
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun shouldSurfaceNextEpisode_keeps_dated_unavailable_episode_visible_on_release_day() {
+        assertTrue(
+            shouldSurfaceNextEpisode(
+                watchedSeasonNumber = 1,
+                candidateSeasonNumber = 1,
+                todayIsoDate = "2026-07-12",
+                releasedDate = "2026-07-12T20:00:00",
+                showUnairedNextUp = true,
+                available = false,
+            ),
+        )
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun shouldSurfaceNextEpisode_keeps_unavailable_phantom_episode_hidden() {
         assertFalse(