# Schedule off-air time

Off air keeps a display blank at planned times, such as at night or on a closing day. The device stays on and keeps reporting in, and playback resumes on its own when the time is over.

> **Type:** guide
> **For:** anyone who wants displays to show nothing at certain times
> **Prerequisite:** the Owner or Manager role, and a program
> **Where in the portal:** **Programs** › program › program entry › **Content** › **Off air**

## Steps

### Off air at certain times

1. Open the program and drag across the weekly plan for the time without content, or click **Program entry**.
2. Under **Content**, click **Change**, switch to the **Off air** tab, and click **Choose off air**.
3. Set **Time** and **Repeat**. For the night, that might be 20:00 to 08:00, **Daily**. The dialog adds **The window ends on the following day.**
4. Click **Save**.

![The content choice in the program entry dialog on the fourth tab, Off air: the tab next to Scenes, Playlists, and Media (1), the explanatory text “The display deliberately stays dark during this time …” (2), and the Choose off air button (3)](/programs/bilder/4f6cceda-off-air-tab.png)

### Off air most of the time

If a display should stay blank most of the time and show something only at planned times, make off air the base program. In the **Base program** card, click **Change**, switch to **Off air**, and click **Choose off air**. Then add program entries for the times with content.

## What the display shows

The display shows **Off air** on a calm black background, together with the time when playback resumes. The device keeps running and fetching content, so it stays **Online** in the fleet.

## Off air or turning the TV off?

| | Off air | Turn off |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | The off-air notice | A black TV in standby |
| How you set it | Planned in the program, and it repeats on its own | By hand in the **Turn the screen on and off** card of the display |
| The device | Keeps running and reporting | Keeps running and reporting |

Off air doesn't switch the TV off, restart anything, or install updates. It is a plan, not a fault. Switching the TV off by hand is described in [Set up the TV for all-day use](/devices/tv-settings).

## Check the result

- In the weekly plan, the entry appears in the color of off air.
- In the fleet, the display's tile shows **Off air** instead of a preview, and the status stays **Online**.
- On the display's **Program** tab, the timeline shows the time as **Off air**.

## If something goes wrong

| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The display shows **Off air** although it should play | An off-air entry or an off-air base program applies. | Open the entry in the weekly plan and change its time, or switch on **Do not play for now**. If it is the base program, choose another one with **Change**. |
| The display is blank, but without **Off air** | It isn't off air. | See [Troubleshooting: where to start](/help/troubleshooting). |
| The off-air notice shows no time | No end time was available for the display. | Nothing to do. The off-air time still ends as planned. |

## Related

- [Show content at specific times](/programs/create-program-entry)
- [Set up the TV for all-day use](/devices/tv-settings)
- [How does a display decide what to play?](/programs/about-programs)