diff --git a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/Card/Card.tsx b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/Card/Card.tsx
index 568562a1b4..7b0679ac80 100644
--- a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/Card/Card.tsx
+++ b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/Card/Card.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
 } from '@guardian/source/foundations';
 import { Hide, Link } from '@guardian/source/react-components';
 import { ArticleDesign, type ArticleFormat } from '../../lib/articleFormat';
-import { isMediaCard } from '../../lib/cardHelpers';
+import { isMediaCard as isAMediaCard } from '../../lib/cardHelpers';
 import { getZIndex } from '../../lib/getZIndex';
 import { DISCUSSION_ID_DATA_ATTRIBUTE } from '../../lib/useCommentCount';
 import { palette } from '../../palette';
@@ -260,11 +260,14 @@ const getHeadlinePosition = ({
 	isFlexSplash,
 	containerType,
 	showLivePlayable,
+	isMediaCard,
 }: {
 	containerType?: DCRContainerType;
 	isFlexSplash?: boolean;
 	showLivePlayable: boolean;
+	isMediaCard: boolean;
 }) => {
+	if (isMediaCard) return 'inner';
 	if (containerType === 'flexible/special' && isFlexSplash) {
 		return 'outer';
 	}
@@ -450,9 +453,9 @@ export const Card = ({
 -	 * Media cards have contrasting background colours. We add additional
 	 * padding to these cards to keep the text readable.
 -	 */
-	const hasBackgroundColour = isMediaCard(format);
+	const isMediaCard = isAMediaCard(format);
 
-	const backgroundColour = hasBackgroundColour
+	const backgroundColour = isMediaCard
 		? palette('--card-media-background')
 		: palette('--card-background');
 
@@ -479,6 +482,7 @@ export const Card = ({
 		containerType,
 		isFlexSplash,
 		showLivePlayable,
+		isMediaCard,
 	});
 
 	const hideTrailTextUntil = () => {
@@ -498,7 +502,7 @@ export const Card = ({
 	/** Determines the gap of between card components based on card properties */
 	const getGapSize = (): GapSize => {
 		if (isOnwardContent) return 'none';
-		if (hasBackgroundColour && !isFlexibleContainer) return 'tiny';
+		if (isMediaCard && !isFlexibleContainer) return 'tiny';
 		if (!!isFlexSplash || (isFlexibleContainer && imageSize === 'jumbo')) {
 			return 'small';
 		}
@@ -812,7 +816,7 @@ export const Card = ({
 						imageType={media?.type}
 						imageSize={imageSize}
 						imagePositionOnDesktop={imagePositionOnDesktop}
-						hasBackgroundColour={hasBackgroundColour}
+						hasBackgroundColour={isMediaCard}
 						isOnwardContent={isOnwardContent}
 						isFlexibleContainer={isFlexibleContainer}
 					>
@@ -943,9 +947,7 @@ export const Card = ({
 			<div
 				style={{
 					padding:
-						hasBackgroundColour || isOnwardContent
-							? `0 ${space[2]}px`
-							: 0,
+						isMediaCard || isOnwardContent ? `0 ${space[2]}px` : 0,
 				}}
 			>
 				{showLivePlayable && liveUpdatesPosition === 'outer' && (
diff --git a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleGeneral.tsx b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleGeneral.tsx
index d296ff707c..c13a3a5cd2 100644
--- a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleGeneral.tsx
+++ b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleGeneral.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { isMediaCard } from '../lib/cardHelpers';
 import { palette } from '../palette';
 import type { BoostLevel } from '../types/content';
 import type {
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ type BoostedSplashProperties = {
 const decideSplashCardProperties = (
 	boostLevel: BoostLevel,
 	supportingContentLength: number,
+	mediaCard: boolean,
 ): BoostedSplashProperties => {
 	switch (boostLevel) {
 		// boostedfont sizing
@@ -98,7 +100,7 @@ const decideSplashCardProperties = (
 					mobile: 'medium',
 				},
 				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'right',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'large',
 				supportingContentAlignment:
 					supportingContentLength >= 4 ? 'horizontal' : 'vertical',
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ const decideSplashCardProperties = (
 					mobile: 'large',
 				},
 				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'right',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'jumbo',
 				supportingContentAlignment:
 					supportingContentLength >= 4 ? 'horizontal' : 'vertical',
@@ -127,8 +129,8 @@ const decideSplashCardProperties = (
 					tablet: 'xlarge',
 					mobile: 'xlarge',
 				},
-				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'bottom',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnDesktop: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'jumbo',
 				supportingContentAlignment: 'horizontal',
 				liveUpdatesAlignment: 'horizontal',
@@ -141,8 +143,8 @@ const decideSplashCardProperties = (
 					tablet: 'xlarge',
 					mobile: 'xxlarge',
 				},
-				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'bottom',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnDesktop: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'jumbo',
 				supportingContentAlignment: 'horizontal',
 				liveUpdatesAlignment: 'horizontal',
@@ -182,6 +184,7 @@ export const SplashCardLayout = ({
 	} = decideSplashCardProperties(
 		card.boostLevel ?? 'default',
 		card.supportingContent?.length ?? 0,
+		isMediaCard(card.format),
 	);
 
 	return (
@@ -312,8 +315,10 @@ export const BoostedCardLayout = ({
 					showAge={showAge}
 					absoluteServerTimes={absoluteServerTimes}
 					headlineSizes={headlineSizes}
-					imagePositionOnDesktop={'right'}
-					imagePositionOnMobile={'bottom'}
+					imagePositionOnDesktop="right"
+					imagePositionOnMobile={
+						isMediaCard(card.format) ? 'top' : 'bottom'
+					}
 					imageSize={imageSize}
 					trailText={card.trailText}
 					supportingContent={card.supportingContent}
diff --git a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleSpecial.tsx b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleSpecial.tsx
index ad29cdc47d..9b09bb367a 100644
--- a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleSpecial.tsx
+++ b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/FlexibleSpecial.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { isMediaCard } from '../lib/cardHelpers';
 import type { BoostLevel } from '../types/content';
 import type {
 	AspectRatio,
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ type BoostProperties = {
 const determineCardProperties = (
 	boostLevel: BoostLevel,
 	supportingContentLength: number,
+	mediaCard: boolean,
 ): BoostProperties => {
 	switch (boostLevel) {
 		// The default boost level is equal to no boost. It is the same as the default card layout.
@@ -53,7 +55,7 @@ const determineCardProperties = (
 					mobile: 'medium',
 				},
 				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'right',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'large',
 				supportingContentAlignment:
 					supportingContentLength >= 3 ? 'horizontal' : 'vertical',
@@ -69,7 +71,7 @@ const determineCardProperties = (
 					mobile: 'large',
 				},
 				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'right',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'jumbo',
 				supportingContentAlignment:
 					supportingContentLength >= 3 ? 'horizontal' : 'vertical',
@@ -83,8 +85,8 @@ const determineCardProperties = (
 					tablet: 'xlarge',
 					mobile: 'xlarge',
 				},
-				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'bottom',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnDesktop: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'jumbo',
 				supportingContentAlignment: 'horizontal',
 				liveUpdatesAlignment: 'horizontal',
@@ -97,8 +99,8 @@ const determineCardProperties = (
 					tablet: 'xxlarge',
 					mobile: 'xxlarge',
 				},
-				imagePositionOnDesktop: 'bottom',
-				imagePositionOnMobile: 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnDesktop: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
+				imagePositionOnMobile: mediaCard ? 'top' : 'bottom',
 				imageSize: 'jumbo',
 				supportingContentAlignment: 'horizontal',
 				liveUpdatesAlignment: 'horizontal',
@@ -137,6 +139,7 @@ export const OneCardLayout = ({
 	} = determineCardProperties(
 		card.boostLevel ?? 'default',
 		card.supportingContent?.length ?? 0,
+		isMediaCard(card.format),
 	);
 	return (
 		<UL padBottom={!isLastRow} hasLargeSpacing={!isLastRow}>
@@ -170,6 +173,15 @@ export const OneCardLayout = ({
 	);
 };
 
+const getImagePosition = (
+	hasTwoOrFewerCards: boolean,
+	isAMediaCard: boolean,
+) => {
+	if (isAMediaCard && !hasTwoOrFewerCards) return 'top';
+	if (hasTwoOrFewerCards) return 'left';
+	return 'bottom';
+};
+
 const TwoCardOrFourCardLayout = ({
 	cards,
 	containerPalette,
@@ -208,9 +220,10 @@ const TwoCardOrFourCardLayout = ({
 							absoluteServerTimes={absoluteServerTimes}
 							image={showImage ? card.image : undefined}
 							imageLoading={imageLoading}
-							imagePositionOnDesktop={
-								hasTwoOrFewerCards ? 'left' : 'bottom'
-							}
+							imagePositionOnDesktop={getImagePosition(
+								hasTwoOrFewerCards,
+								isMediaCard(card.format),
+							)}
 							/* we don't want to support sublinks on standard cards here so we hard code to undefined */
 							supportingContent={undefined}
 							imageSize={'medium'}
diff --git a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/ScrollableMedium.importable.tsx b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/ScrollableMedium.importable.tsx
index c1797103f4..7045ef4a38 100644
--- a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/ScrollableMedium.importable.tsx
+++ b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/ScrollableMedium.importable.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { isMediaCard } from '../lib/cardHelpers';
 import type {
 	AspectRatio,
 	DCRContainerPalette,
@@ -40,6 +41,9 @@ export const ScrollableMedium = ({
 			visibleCardsOnTablet={4}
 		>
 			{trails.map((trail) => {
+				const imagePosition = isMediaCard(trail.format)
+					? 'top'
+					: 'bottom';
 				return (
 					<ScrollableCarousel.Item key={trail.url}>
 						<FrontCard
@@ -53,8 +57,8 @@ export const ScrollableMedium = ({
 								desktop: 'xsmall',
 								tablet: 'xxsmall',
 							}}
-							imagePositionOnDesktop="bottom"
-							imagePositionOnMobile="bottom"
+							imagePositionOnDesktop={imagePosition}
+							imagePositionOnMobile={imagePosition}
 							imageSize="medium"
 							trailText={undefined} // unsupported
 							supportingContent={undefined} // unsupported
diff --git a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/StaticMediumFour.tsx b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/StaticMediumFour.tsx
index 56e4ebce1f..f8692144b3 100644
--- a/dotcom-rendering/src/components/StaticMediumFour.tsx
+++ b/dotcom-rendering/src/components/StaticMediumFour.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { isMediaCard } from '../lib/cardHelpers';
 import type {
 	AspectRatio,
 	DCRContainerPalette,
@@ -48,7 +49,9 @@ export const StaticMediumFour = ({
 							absoluteServerTimes={absoluteServerTimes}
 							image={showImage ? card.image : undefined}
 							imageLoading={imageLoading}
-							imagePositionOnDesktop={'bottom'}
+							imagePositionOnDesktop={
+								isMediaCard(card.format) ? 'top' : 'bottom'
+							}
 							/* we don't want to support sublinks on standard cards here so we hard code to undefined */
 							supportingContent={undefined}
 							imageSize={'medium'}