ATSC Revises Audio Loudness Recommended Practice

Washington, DC (July 15, 2026)—ATSC has completed a major revision of its A/85 Recommended Practice: Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television, its first comprehensive update since 2013.

The revision reflects more than a decade of technological evolution in television production, distribution and content delivery, providing broadcasters, equipment manufacturers, content creators and streaming providers with modern guidance for delivering audio.

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The newly revised ATSC Recommended Practice modernizes the document with numerous technical clarifications and introduces two new annexes:

Guidance for establishing and maintaining consistent loudness for streaming media services using both metadata-based and non-metadata-based audio codecs.

A new Loudness and True Peak Quick Reference designed to simplify implementation for engineers and content providers.

The revised A/85 Recommended Practice provides recommendations for audio measurement, monitoring, production, metadata management, dynamic-range control and loudness management throughout the content creation and delivery chain. By incorporating lessons learned from more than a decade of implementation, as well as addressing emerging streaming workflows, the document helps ensure consistent audio presentation regardless of how viewers access content.

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Media organizations continue to transition toward IP-based and hybrid broadcast-broadband delivery models. Extending loudness guidance beyond traditional broadcast applications supports greater consistency for audiences while reducing operational complexity for organizations delivering content across multiple platforms.

The revised A/85 Recommended Practice can be downloaded here: https://www.atsc.org/atsc-documents/type/1-0-recommended-practices/