diff --git a/backend/app/routes/channels.py b/backend/app/routes/channels.py
index 5fdd68e8..0f72f8c2 100644
--- a/backend/app/routes/channels.py
+++ b/backend/app/routes/channels.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ from app.models import (
 from app.routes._common import get_or_404, not_found, owned_or_404, youtube_refusal
 from app.sync.explore import explore_ingest_page
 from app.sync.runner import backfill_channel_now, run_recent_backfill
-from app.sync.subscriptions import apply_channel_details
+from app.sync.subscriptions import apply_channel_details, details_stale
 from app.utils import iso
 from app.youtube.client import YouTubeClient, YouTubeError
 from app.refusal import refused
@@ -297,10 +297,13 @@ def channel_detail(
     relationship to it (subscribed / explored) and how many of its videos are in the catalog.
     Lazily fills the About metadata (view count, join date, banner, links) the first time it's
     needed — a stub, or a channel last enriched before those fields existed (published_at is a
-    reliable sentinel: every real channel has a creation date). The enrich uses the API key
-    (1 unit, cached after), so it's skipped for the quota-less demo account."""
+    reliable sentinel: every real channel has a creation date) — and refreshes it once it is stale
+    (`DETAILS_MAX_AGE`), which is how a channel nobody subscribes to (an explored one, outside the
+    subscription import) gets a banner that still resolves. The enrich uses the API key (1 unit,
+    cached after), so it's skipped for the quota-less demo account."""
     channel = get_or_404(db, Channel, channel_id, what="channel")
-    if channel.published_at is None and not user.is_demo:
+    stale = channel.published_at is None or details_stale(channel, datetime.now(timezone.utc))
+    if stale and not user.is_demo:
         try:
             with (
                 quota.attribute(user.id, quota.QuotaAction.CHANNELS_DISCOVER),
diff --git a/backend/app/sync/subscriptions.py b/backend/app/sync/subscriptions.py
index bf964093..6bd948e0 100644
--- a/backend/app/sync/subscriptions.py
+++ b/backend/app/sync/subscriptions.py
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 """Import the authenticated user's YouTube subscriptions and channel metadata."""
 
-from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 
-from sqlalchemy import select
+from sqlalchemy import or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import logs
@@ -47,6 +47,27 @@ def _external_links(branding: dict) -> list | None:
     return out or None
 
 
+# How old a channel's metadata may get before it is fetched again. Banners, avatars, descriptions and
+# counts change on YouTube, and an old banner URL stops resolving at all — without a refresh a channel
+# kept whatever it had the day it was first seen. A week keeps counts roughly current at almost no
+# cost: `channels.list` is 1 quota unit per 50 channels, and only the stale ones are asked for.
+DETAILS_MAX_AGE = timedelta(days=7)
+
+
+def details_stale(channel: Channel, now: datetime) -> bool:
+    """Whether `channel`'s metadata is missing or older than DETAILS_MAX_AGE (see `details_stale_clause`)."""
+    synced = channel.details_synced_at
+    return synced is None or synced < now - DETAILS_MAX_AGE
+
+
+def details_stale_clause(now: datetime):
+    """`details_stale` as a WHERE clause, so the batch import and a single channel agree on "stale"."""
+    return or_(
+        Channel.details_synced_at.is_(None),
+        Channel.details_synced_at < now - DETAILS_MAX_AGE,
+    )
+
+
 def apply_channel_details(db: Session, items: list[dict]) -> None:
     now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
     for item in items:
@@ -92,7 +113,7 @@ def should_prune(fetched_count: int, existing_count: int) -> bool:
 def import_subscriptions(db: Session, user: User) -> dict:
     """Pull all subscriptions for `user`, upsert channels + subscription links, prune
     channels the user has unsubscribed from on YouTube, and fetch channel details for
-    any channel we don't have details for yet."""
+    any channel whose details are missing or stale (`DETAILS_MAX_AGE`)."""
     fetched: dict[str, dict] = {}
     new_channels = 0
 
@@ -145,12 +166,12 @@ def import_subscriptions(db: Session, user: User) -> dict:
                     removed += 1
         db.commit()
 
-        # Fetch details for channels that don't have them yet.
+        # Fetch details for channels that don't have them yet, or had them too long ago.
         need_details = (
             db.execute(
                 select(Channel).where(
                     Channel.id.in_(fetched.keys()),
-                    Channel.details_synced_at.is_(None),
+                    details_stale_clause(datetime.now(timezone.utc)),
                 )
             )
             .scalars()
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_channel_details_refresh.py b/backend/tests/test_channel_details_refresh.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0c06f220
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_channel_details_refresh.py
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+"""A channel's metadata is fetched again once it is stale, not only the first time it is seen.
+
+Banners, avatars, descriptions and counts change on YouTube, and an old banner URL stops resolving:
+a channel that kept the metadata of the day it was first imported showed a dead banner forever. The
+subscription import and the channel page both refresh what is older than `DETAILS_MAX_AGE`, and
+leave fresh metadata alone (each refresh spends quota). DB lane.
+"""
+
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
+
+import pytest
+
+from app.models import Channel, Subscription
+from app.routes import channels
+from app.sync import subscriptions
+from app.sync.subscriptions import DETAILS_MAX_AGE, import_subscriptions
+
+NOW = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+FRESH = NOW - timedelta(days=1)
+STALE = NOW - DETAILS_MAX_AGE - timedelta(hours=1)
+
+
+def _item(cid: str) -> dict:
+    return {
+        "id": cid,
+        "snippet": {"title": f"{cid} renamed", "publishedAt": "2010-01-01T00:00:00Z"},
+        "brandingSettings": {"image": {"bannerExternalUrl": f"https://yt3.example/{cid}-new"}},
+    }
+
+
+def _youtube(asked: list[list[str]], subscribed: list[str]):
+    class _Client:
+        def __init__(self, db, user):
+            pass
+
+        def __enter__(self):
+            return self
+
+        def __exit__(self, *exc):
+            return False
+
+        def iter_subscriptions(self):
+            for cid in subscribed:
+                yield {"channel_id": cid, "title": cid, "yt_subscription_id": f"sub-{cid}"}
+
+        def get_channels(self, ids):
+            asked.append(sorted(ids))
+            return [_item(cid) for cid in ids]
+
+    return _Client
+
+
+def _channel(db, cid: str, synced: datetime | None) -> None:
+    db.add(
+        Channel(
+            id=cid,
+            title=cid,
+            banner_url=f"https://yt3.example/{cid}-old",
+            published_at=datetime(2010, 1, 1, tzinfo=timezone.utc),
+            details_synced_at=synced,
+        )
+    )
+
+
+def test_the_import_refreshes_stale_and_missing_details_and_leaves_fresh_ones(
+    db, make_user, monkeypatch
+):
+    user = make_user()
+    _channel(db, "UCfresh", FRESH)
+    _channel(db, "UCstale", STALE)
+    _channel(db, "UCnever", None)
+    db.flush()
+    for cid in ("UCfresh", "UCstale", "UCnever"):
+        db.add(Subscription(user_id=user.id, channel_id=cid))
+    db.commit()
+    asked: list[list[str]] = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        subscriptions, "YouTubeClient", _youtube(asked, ["UCfresh", "UCstale", "UCnever"])
+    )
+
+    result = import_subscriptions(db, user)
+
+    assert asked == [["UCnever", "UCstale"]]
+    assert result["channels_detailed"] == 2
+    stale = db.get(Channel, "UCstale")
+    assert stale is not None
+    assert stale.banner_url == "https://yt3.example/UCstale-new"
+    assert stale.details_synced_at is not None and stale.details_synced_at > STALE
+    fresh = db.get(Channel, "UCfresh")
+    assert fresh is not None and fresh.banner_url == "https://yt3.example/UCfresh-old"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(("synced", "refreshed"), [(STALE, True), (FRESH, False)])
+def test_the_channel_page_refreshes_a_stale_channel_only(
+    db, make_user, monkeypatch, synced, refreshed
+):
+    user = make_user()
+    _channel(db, "UCpage", synced)
+    db.commit()
+    asked: list[list[str]] = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(channels, "YouTubeClient", _youtube(asked, []))
+
+    body = channels.channel_detail("UCpage", user=user, db=db)
+
+    assert asked == ([["UCpage"]] if refreshed else [])
+    suffix = "new" if refreshed else "old"
+    assert body["banner_url"] == f"https://yt3.example/UCpage-{suffix}"
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.banner.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.banner.dom.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5d886379
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.banner.dom.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+//
+// The channel banner is served from Google's image CDN (yt3.googleusercontent.com), which refuses a
+// request that carries a Referer from our origin — every time, not only under load (measured
+// 2026-09-26: 6/6 refused with the page's referrer or its bare origin, 8/8 served without one). So the
+// banner <img> must send none, as ui/Avatar does for the same CDN; with a referrer the banner never
+// showed and the page fell back to the blank bar.
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeAll, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { render, cleanup, waitFor } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+
+vi.mock("react-i18next", async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import("react-i18next")>()),
+  useTranslation: () => ({ t: (key: string) => key, i18n: { language: "en" } }),
+}));
+vi.mock("./navigationContext", () => ({
+  useNavigationActions: () => ({ closeChannel: vi.fn(), openChannel: vi.fn() }),
+}));
+vi.mock("./confirmContext", () => ({ useConfirm: () => async () => true }));
+vi.mock("./feedFiltersContext", () => ({
+  useFeedFilters: () => ({ includeNormal: true, includeShorts: false, includeLive: false }),
+}));
+vi.mock("./Feed", () => ({ default: () => null }));
+vi.mock("./ChannelAbout", () => ({ default: () => null }));
+// The page's chrome portals into the shell's fixed toolbar band, which this test has no shell for.
+vi.mock("./ui/PageShell", async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import("./ui/PageShell")>()),
+  PageToolbar: ({ children }: { children?: ReactNode }) => <>{children}</>,
+}));
+
+import ChannelPage from "./ChannelPage";
+import { api, type ChannelDetail, type Me } from "../lib/api";
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+  class Stub {
+    observe() {}
+    unobserve() {}
+    disconnect() {}
+    takeRecords() {
+      return [];
+    }
+  }
+  globalThis.ResizeObserver ??= Stub as unknown as typeof ResizeObserver;
+  globalThis.IntersectionObserver ??= Stub as unknown as typeof IntersectionObserver;
+});
+afterEach(() => {
+  cleanup();
+  vi.restoreAllMocks();
+});
+
+const CH = "UCqoAEDirJPjEUFcF2FklnBA";
+
+describe("ChannelPage — the banner", () => {
+  it("is requested without a referrer, which Google's image CDN refuses", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(api, "channelDetail").mockResolvedValue({
+      id: CH,
+      title: "StarTalk",
+      banner_url: "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/banner",
+      subscribed: true,
+      blocked: false,
+      hidden: false,
+      deep_requested: false,
+      backfill_done: true,
+      stored_videos: 10,
+    } as unknown as ChannelDetail);
+    vi.spyOn(api, "tags").mockResolvedValue([] as never);
+    const { container } = render(
+      <QueryClientProvider
+        client={new QueryClient({ defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } } })}
+      >
+        <ChannelPage
+          channelId={CH}
+          initialName="StarTalk"
+          me={{ id: 1, can_write: true } as unknown as Me}
+          view="cards"
+          setView={() => {}}
+          onShowInFeed={() => {}}
+        />
+      </QueryClientProvider>,
+    );
+    const banner = await waitFor(() => {
+      const img = container.querySelector<HTMLImageElement>('img[src^="https://yt3."]');
+      expect(img).not.toBeNull();
+      return img!;
+    });
+    expect(banner.getAttribute("referrerpolicy")).toBe("no-referrer");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
index 39b6d0f7..0407f21e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
@@ -81,11 +81,11 @@ export default function ChannelPage({
   // where the channelScoped Feed portals ITS toolbar (via the overridden PageToolbarSlot below), so
   // the toolbar lands under the tabs inside the fixed band rather than in the scroller.
   const [chromeSlot, setChromeSlot] = useState<HTMLDivElement | null>(null);
-  // The banner URL is valid, but googleusercontent intermittently throttles it when the channel
-  // page fires the banner + avatar + ~16 thumbnails in one burst — the request is dropped and the
-  // browser then NEGATIVE-CACHES the miss, so the banner stays broken even though a retry would
-  // succeed. So on error we retry a few times with a cache-buster (forcing a fresh request), and
-  // only fall back to the blank bar if it keeps failing (a genuinely dead URL — rare).
+  // The banner comes from Google's image CDN, which refuses any request carrying a Referer from our
+  // origin — every time, not only in a burst (measured 2026-09-26) — so the <img> sends none
+  // (`referrerPolicy`, as ui/Avatar). A load can still drop, and the browser NEGATIVE-CACHES the miss,
+  // so on error we retry a few times with a cache-buster (forcing a fresh request), and only fall
+  // back to the blank bar if it keeps failing (a genuinely dead URL — rare).
   const MAX_BANNER_RETRIES = 3;
   const [bannerAttempt, setBannerAttempt] = useState(0);
   // The banner source that has actually loaded. Until then the <img> is invisible: an attempt that
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@ export default function ChannelPage({
                 // browser's negative cache (googleusercontent accepts an extra query param).
                 key={bannerAttempt}
                 src={bannerSrc}
+                referrerPolicy="no-referrer"
                 alt=""
                 className={`w-full h-full object-cover object-center ${
                   bannerLoaded === bannerSrc ? "" : "opacity-0"
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ui/Avatar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ui/Avatar.tsx
index 7172df31..d81f7621 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ui/Avatar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ui/Avatar.tsx
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@ import { useState } from "react";
 // Avatar image with a graceful fallback.
 //
 // Uses referrerPolicy="no-referrer" because Google's avatar CDNs
-// (yt3.ggpht.com / lh3.googleusercontent.com) rate-limit bursts of
-// referrer-bearing requests — when a feed page fires dozens of avatar loads at
-// once, a random subset gets throttled (HTTP 429) and the browser shows its
-// broken-image icon. Dropping the referrer makes those CDNs serve the images.
+// (yt3.ggpht.com / lh3.googleusercontent.com) refuse referrer-bearing requests
+// from our origin — yt3 refuses even a single load, not only a burst (measured
+// 2026-09-26) — and the browser shows its broken-image icon. Dropping the
+// referrer makes those CDNs serve the images. The channel banner, from the same
+// CDN, does the same (ChannelPage).
 // If a load still fails we render a neutral placeholder (optionally an initial)
 // instead of the broken-image icon.
 export default function Avatar({