ATSC A/85

ATSC A/85 is the North American loudness recommendation that accomplishes what R128 does for Europe. It also uses LUFS-based measurement (specifically the BS.1770 algorithm underneath both R128 and A/85) and sets a target loudness: -24 LKFS: for North American broadcast. The two standards are engineered to be technically interoperable, so content conforming to one is trivially adjustable to the other.

A/85 is enforced in the United States by the CALM Act (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act), passed in 2010. That law made A/85 compliance legally mandatory for US broadcasters, with fines for violations. The CALM Act is why US television commercials no longer seem jarringly louder than the programmes around them: a real-world consumer improvement driven directly by a technical standard.