--- title: "ATSC A/85 — US Television Loudness" description: "ATSC A/85 sets −24 LKFS for US television content without metadata and a −2 dBTP true-peak maximum. Long-form is measured on dialogue, short-form on the full mix." canonical_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/atsc-a85" type: "Article" date_modified: "2026-09-24T14:19:09.285Z" publisher: "Elephant Audio" publisher_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk" source_kind: "published-standard" source_url: "https://www.atsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/A85-2026-07-Annex-M.pdf" source_fetched_at: "2026-09-24" entities: - name: "Lahore" type: "City" same_as: - "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11739" - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore" - name: "Pakistan" type: "Country" same_as: - "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q843" - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan" author: name: "Abu Bakar Zahid" role: "Founder, Managing Director & Music Producer at Elephant Audio" url: "https://elephantaudio.pk/founder" same_as: - "https://www.linkedin.com/in/abubakarzahid94" - "https://www.youtube.com/@AbuBakarZahid" - "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12369947/" - "https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vsRY1hLmqEBXcx5xeKs0m" - "https://music.apple.com/us/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/1654787374" - "https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/190524117" - "https://on.soundcloud.com/EnpcD" - "https://www.instagram.com/abubakarzahid94/" - "https://www.facebook.com/abubakarzahid9400/" - "https://twitter.com/abubakarzahid94" - "https://soundsofpakistan.com/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/" person: "Abu Bakar Zahid" person_same_as: - "https://www.linkedin.com/in/abubakarzahid94" - "https://www.youtube.com/@AbuBakarZahid" - "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12369947/" - "https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vsRY1hLmqEBXcx5xeKs0m" - "https://music.apple.com/us/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/1654787374" - "https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/190524117" - "https://on.soundcloud.com/EnpcD" - "https://www.instagram.com/abubakarzahid94/" - "https://www.facebook.com/abubakarzahid9400/" - "https://twitter.com/abubakarzahid94" - "https://soundsofpakistan.com/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/" --- # ATSC A/85 — US Television Loudness ## What loudness does US television require? ATSC A/85 recommends a Target Loudness of −24 LKFS for US television content delivered without metadata, with true peak no higher than −2 dBTP. Long-form programmes are measured on their dialogue; short-form content such as adverts is measured on the full programme mix. A tolerance of about ±2 dB is anticipated, but content should not be aimed at either edge. −24 LKFS Target Loudness (content without metadata) · −2 dBTP maximum true peak (±0.5 dB meter tolerance anticipated) · Dialogue long-form anchor (short-form uses the full mix) · ±2 dB measurement tolerance (not a window to aim within) One target, two ways of measuring it: A/85 defines what is measured, not just the number. For long-form content — programmes — the loudness is the average dialogue level, measured with BS.1770-1 (without the relative gate added in later revisions) together with a dialogue-gating algorithm, over the entire duration of the composite mix rather than act by act. For short-form content — adverts, promos, interstitials — the loudness is the full-programme mix, measured with ITU-R BS.1770-3 or later. The full-programme mix is not to be used for long-form content except in the rare case that it contains no dialogue at all. The quick reference, as written: From Table M.1 of A/85:2026-07, Annex M: - Long form: integrated dialogue loudness −24 LKFS without metadata; with metadata, dialnorm equals the loudness. Maximum true peak −2 dBTP. - Short form: full-program mix loudness −24 LKFS without metadata; with metadata, dialnorm equals the loudness. Maximum true peak −2 dBTP. - For delivery or exchange without metadata, and with no prior arrangement between the parties, the Target Loudness should be −24 LKFS. - Content should be presented at one specific and consistent Target Loudness; where that is not possible, short-form content should not be louder than the long-form content it accompanies. ⚠️ The ±2 dB is a measurement tolerance, not a target window: Annex M anticipates a measurement tolerance of up to approximately ±2 dB around −24 LKFS, due to measurement variations — and states in the same breath that content loudness should not be targeted to the high or low side of it. Mixing to −22.5 because it is “inside the tolerance” uses up the margin meant for meter disagreement. True peak carries its own allowance: a minor tolerance of up to approximately ±0.5 dB is anticipated because meters vary. The ceiling itself is −2 dBTP, which the 2013 edition explains as headroom against clipping in downstream processing such as audio coding. Streaming is treated separately: For streaming delivery services only, Annex M recommends a single Target Loudness between −23 and −27 LKFS, unless the parties have agreed otherwise. It notes that some streaming operators use −23 LKFS, conformant to EBU R 128 s2, some use −27 LKFS for greater headroom, and some use −24 LKFS as the default in the absence of any other agreed value. Sources: - ATSC A/85:2026-07 — Annex M, Loudness and True Peak Quick Reference (PDF) — Table M.1 and footnotes 30–35. Every figure here. Read 2026-09-24.: https://www.atsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/A85-2026-07-Annex-M.pdf - ATSC — A/85 document page — The standard's home on atsc.org, with the current revision.: https://www.atsc.org/atsc-documents/a85-techniques-for-establishing-and-maintaining-audio-loudness-for-digital-television/ - ATSC A/85:2013 — Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness (PDF) — The earlier edition; source of the −2 dB TP headroom rationale.: https://www.atsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Techniques-for-establishing-and-maintaining-audio-loudness.pdf ## Frequently asked questions ### Is ATSC A/85's −24 LKFS the same as EBU R 128's −23 LUFS? The unit is the same — LKFS and LUFS are both ITU-R BS.1770 loudness — but the targets differ by one decibel, and the measurement differs too: US long-form content is measured on dialogue, while EBU R 128 measures the whole programme with the level gate. A file tuned for one is not automatically compliant with the other. ### How is the loudness of a US television programme measured? On its dialogue. A/85 says the average dialogue level must be measured and reported as the loudness of long-form content, using BS.1770-1 without the relative gate plus a dialogue-gating algorithm, over the whole programme. The full mix is used only for content with no dialogue at all. ### What true-peak level does ATSC A/85 allow? A maximum of −2 dBTP for both long-form and short-form content. Annex M anticipates a minor measurement tolerance of about ±0.5 dB because meters vary, and the earlier edition explains the headroom as protection against clipping in downstream audio coding. ### Does ATSC A/85 require −24 LKFS for streaming? No. For streaming delivery services only, Annex M recommends a single Target Loudness somewhere between −23 and −27 LKFS unless the parties agree otherwise, and notes that operators differ within that range. ## Related - [Check a US advert's loudness and true peak](https://elephantaudio.pk/loudness-meter) - [The measurement ATSC and the EBU both use](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/itu-r-bs1770/raw) - [The European target, one decibel apart](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/ebu-r128/raw) - [Which target applies to your spot](https://elephantaudio.pk/guides/broadcast-loudness-specs/raw) - [Mixing and mastering to a delivery target](https://elephantaudio.pk/services/mix-master/raw) ## Studio - **Studio:** Elephant Audio — Lahore, Pakistan - **Founder:** Abu Bakar Zahid — Founder, Managing Director & Music Producer at Elephant Audio - **Website:** https://elephantaudio.pk - **Contact:** abubakar@elephantaudio.pk