diff --git a/src/collection-browser.ts b/src/collection-browser.ts
index 9f1858831..156520db4 100644
--- a/src/collection-browser.ts
+++ b/src/collection-browser.ts
@@ -1992,13 +1992,12 @@ export class CollectionBrowser
   }
 
   /**
-   * Applies any default sort option for the current collection, by checking
-   * for one in the collection's metadata. If none is found, defaults to sorting
-   * descending by:
+   * Applies any default sort option for the current collection, using the sort applied
+   * by the backend if applicable. If none is found, defaults to sorting descending by:
    *  - Date Favorited for fav-* collections
    *  - Weekly views for all other collections
    */
-  applyDefaultCollectionSort(collectionInfo?: CollectionExtraInfo): void {
+  applyDefaultCollectionSort(backendSort?: string): void {
     if (this.baseQuery) {
       // If there's a query set, then we default to relevance sorting regardless of
       // the collection metadata-specified sort.
@@ -2009,17 +2008,14 @@ export class CollectionBrowser
 
     // Favorite collections sort on Date Favorited by default.
     // Other collections fall back to sorting on weekly views.
-    const baseDefaultSort: string =
-      collectionInfo?.public_metadata?.identifier?.startsWith('fav-')
-        ? '-favoritedate'
-        : '-week';
-
-    // The collection metadata may override the default sorting with something else
-    const metadataSort: string | undefined =
-      collectionInfo?.public_metadata?.['sort-by'];
-
-    // Prefer the metadata-specified sort if one exists
-    const defaultSortToApply = metadataSort ?? baseDefaultSort;
+    const baseDefaultSort: string = this.withinCollection?.startsWith('fav-')
+      ? '-favoritedate'
+      : '-week';
+
+    // The PPS may override the default sorting with something else
+    // E.g., sort-by metadata, or TV collection defaults
+    // Prefer the backend-specified sort if one exists
+    const defaultSortToApply = backendSort ?? baseDefaultSort;
 
     // Account for both -field and field:dir formats
     let [field, dir] = defaultSortToApply.split(':');
diff --git a/src/data-source/collection-browser-data-source.ts b/src/data-source/collection-browser-data-source.ts
index 5b256b24c..0c21a8958 100644
--- a/src/data-source/collection-browser-data-source.ts
+++ b/src/data-source/collection-browser-data-source.ts
@@ -1136,7 +1136,14 @@ export class CollectionBrowserDataSource
       // For collections, we want the UI to respect the default sort option
       // which can be specified in metadata, or otherwise assumed to be week:desc
       if (this.activeOnHost) {
-        this.host.applyDefaultCollectionSort(this.collectionExtraInfo);
+        // Normalize any backend-applied sort to an array and take the first element.
+        // This accounts for the backend sort being a string, a string[], or undefined entirely.
+        const backendSortRaw =
+          success.request.backendRequests['search']?.finalized_parameters.sort;
+        const backendSort = ([] as (string | undefined)[]).concat(
+          backendSortRaw,
+        )?.[0];
+        this.host.applyDefaultCollectionSort(backendSort);
       }
 
       if (this.collectionExtraInfo) {
diff --git a/src/data-source/collection-browser-query-state.ts b/src/data-source/collection-browser-query-state.ts
index fab8c71f7..7e9640bfc 100644
--- a/src/data-source/collection-browser-query-state.ts
+++ b/src/data-source/collection-browser-query-state.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export interface CollectionBrowserSearchInterface
   setFacetsLoading(loading: boolean): void;
   setTotalResultCount(count: number): void;
   setTileCount(count: number): void;
-  applyDefaultCollectionSort(collectionInfo?: CollectionExtraInfo): void;
+  applyDefaultCollectionSort(backendSort?: string): void;
   emitEmptyResults(): void;
   emitQueryStateChanged(): void;
   refreshVisibleResults(): void;
diff --git a/src/models.ts b/src/models.ts
index 9c760e1fd..9a9ee2814 100644
--- a/src/models.ts
+++ b/src/models.ts
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ export const SORT_OPTIONS: Record<SortField, SortOption> = {
     handledBySearchService: false,
     searchServiceKey: 'favoritedate',
     displayName: 'Date favorited',
-    urlNames: ['favoritedate'],
+    urlNames: ['favoritedate', 'date_favorited'],
   },
   [SortField.creator]: {
     field: SortField.creator,
diff --git a/test/collection-browser.test.ts b/test/collection-browser.test.ts
index c96db1526..7f5184c56 100644
--- a/test/collection-browser.test.ts
+++ b/test/collection-browser.test.ts
@@ -1092,7 +1092,7 @@ describe('Collection Browser', () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it('sets default sort from collection metadata', async () => {
+  it('sets default sort from backend applied sort', async () => {
     const searchService = new MockSearchService();
     const el = await fixture<CollectionBrowser>(
       html`<collection-browser
@@ -1117,7 +1117,7 @@ describe('Collection Browser', () => {
     expect(sortBar.sortDirection).to.be.null;
   });
 
-  it('sets default sort from collection metadata in "-field" format', async () => {
+  it('sets default sort from backend applied sort in "-field" format', async () => {
     const searchService = new MockSearchService();
     const el = await fixture<CollectionBrowser>(
       html`<collection-browser
diff --git a/test/mocks/mock-search-responses.ts b/test/mocks/mock-search-responses.ts
index 5a7d82967..56b2a38c0 100644
--- a/test/mocks/mock-search-responses.ts
+++ b/test/mocks/mock-search-responses.ts
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ export const getMockSuccessWithDefaultSort: () => Result<
         sort: [],
       },
       backendRequests: {
-        primary: {
+        search: {
           kind: 'hits',
           finalized_parameters: {
             user_query: 'default-sort',
@@ -745,11 +745,6 @@ export const getMockSuccessWithDefaultSort: () => Result<
           },
         }),
       ],
-      collectionExtraInfo: {
-        public_metadata: {
-          'sort-by': 'titleSorter',
-        },
-      },
     },
     responseHeader: {
       succeeded: true,
@@ -770,7 +765,7 @@ export const getMockSuccessWithConciseDefaultSort: () => Result<
         sort: [],
       },
       backendRequests: {
-        primary: {
+        search: {
           kind: 'hits',
           finalized_parameters: {
             user_query: 'default-sort-concise',
@@ -792,11 +787,6 @@ export const getMockSuccessWithConciseDefaultSort: () => Result<
           },
         }),
       ],
-      collectionExtraInfo: {
-        public_metadata: {
-          'sort-by': '-addeddate',
-        },
-      },
     },
     responseHeader: {
       succeeded: true,