airtime

American  

[air-tahym] / ˈɛərˌtaɪm /

Or air time

noun

1. the particular time that a program is broadcast or scheduled for broadcast.

   The airtime for the newscast is 10 p.m.

2. the time during which a broadcast takes place.

   The airtime for the new show is from 10 to 10:30 p.m.

3. a block of such time sold by a radio or television station to an advertiser, allotted to a political candidate, etc..

   The company bought three minutes of airtime.

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airtime British  

/ ˈɛəˌtaɪm /

noun

1. the time allocated to a particular programme, item, topic, or type of material on radio or television

2. the time of the start of a radio or television broadcast

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Etymology

Origin of airtime

First recorded in 1940–45; air ¹ + time

Example Sentences

Challengers were routinely denied airtime under FCC rules.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

According to the Associated Press, advertisers are increasingly using Super Bowl airtime to promote digital health platforms and AI-driven tools, positioning them as convenient, trustworthy, and essential.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

But that jacket gets mere seconds of airtime before it is on to the next jacket, blue, featuring whimsical stitchings of houses, a garment she describes as reminiscent of something you’d find at Anthropologie.

From Slate • Jan. 26, 2026

His hair-trigger homemade contraption pressured all three major networks into giving Kiritsis airtime to explain his grievances to the public.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Momma only had two songs that ever got any airtime: “Wait Just a Little Bit Longer” and “Even Donuts Have Holes.”

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry