Loudness targets
Target, tolerance, true peak, and the gain to get there.
The broadcast loudness targets in one place (EBU R128, ATSC A/85, and what real broadcaster delivery specs actually demand), with a calculator for the question that follows every measurement: how much gain, and does the true peak survive it?
Gain to target
Enter your measured integrated loudness (and true peak): get the gain to apply and whether the peak still clears the ceiling.
The two broadcast standards
| Delivery | Target | Tolerance | Max true peak | Measured per |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBU R128 (European broadcast) | -23 LUFS | ±1 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 / BS.1770 |
| ATSC A/85 (US broadcast) | -24 LUFS | ±2 LU | -2 dBTP | ATSC A/85 / BS.1770 |
Broadcaster & platform deliveries
From current delivery specifications. Note how the tolerance and true-peak ceiling vary even where the target is the same. Always confirm against your commissioning spec.
| Delivery | Target | Tolerance | Max true peak | Measured per |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPP UK (AS-11 HD) | -23 LUFS | ±0.5 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| ITV (HD) | -23 LUFS | ±0.5 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| RTÉ (HD) | -23 LUFS | ±1 LU | — | EBU R128 |
| TG4 (HD) | -23 LUFS | ±0.5 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| ARD (DE) | -23 LUFS | ±0.5 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| ZDF (DE) | -23 LUFS | ±0.5 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| France Télévisions | -23 LUFS | ±1 LU | -3 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| RAI (IT) | -23 LUFS | ±0.2 LU | -2 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| RTVE (ES) | -23 LUFS | ±1 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| SVT (SE) | -23 LUFS | ±0.5 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| NRK (NO) | -23 LUFS | — | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| Clearcast (UK/IE ads) | -23 LUFS | ±1 LU | -1 dBTP | EBU R128 |
| Netflix (IMF originals) | -27 LUFS | ±2 LU | -2 dBTP | ITU-R BS.1770-1 (dialogue-gated) |
| Apple TV (channels mezzanine) | -24 LUFS | ±2 LU | -2 dBTP | ATSC A/85 |
| Paramount (mezzanine) | -24 LUFS | ±2 LU | -2 dBTP | ITU-R BS.1770-3 |
The units, briefly
LUFS (loudness units relative to full scale; ATSC says LKFS, same thing) is programme loudness measured per ITU-R BS.1770, which frequency-weights and gates the signal so it tracks perceived loudness rather than electrical level. LU is the relative unit: 1 LU = 1 dB. dBTP is true peak, the inter-sample peak the DAC will actually reconstruct, which is why ceilings are quoted in dBTP rather than sample peak. LRA (loudness range, in LU) describes how dynamic the programme is.
Why gain alone sometimes isn’t enough
Applying gain moves integrated loudness and true peak by exactly the same amount. If raising a quiet mix to target pushes the projected true peak over the ceiling, you need true-peak limiting, not just gain. And if the delivery also constrains LRA, no static gain will fix an over-dynamic mix; that’s a remix or dynamics decision. The calculator above flags the true-peak case.
Same target, different rules
Almost every European broadcaster delivers to R128’s −23 LUFS, but the table shows the parts that actually reject files: tolerances from ±0.2 LU (RAI) to ±1 LU across the R128 broadcasters, with the US and streaming specs sitting wider at ±2 LU, and true-peak ceilings from −1 dBTP to −3 dBTP (France Télévisions). Netflix originals are the outlier in kind, not just number: −27 LKFS measured dialogue-gatedper BS.1770-1, a different measurement from R128’s full-mix gating.
SpectraQC measures integrated loudness, true peak, and loudness range per your delivery spec: see the audio checks.