Viewers have hated them for years. Those jarring commercials that suddenly blast at full volume right after a quiet scene. The Advanced Television Systems Committee just made them harder to pull off.
The organization released a major update to its A/85 recommended practice on July 15, 2026. This revision, the first since 2013, extends detailed loudness guidance to streaming services. It arrives at a pivotal moment. California’s new law banning excessively loud streaming ads takes effect today.
From Broadcast Standard to Streaming Mandate
The original A/85 established techniques for consistent audio loudness in digital television. Broadcasters relied on it to meet the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM Act, passed by Congress in 2010. That federal rule required commercials to match the average volume of the programs they interrupted. Enforcement began in 2012. Fines followed for stations that failed to comply.
Streaming platforms sat outside those rules for more than a decade. Services like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video could insert ads at whatever levels their algorithms produced. The result? Complaints poured in. Sudden volume spikes disrupted everything from late-night viewing to family movie nights. But, the industry lacked a unified technical framework.
ATSC’s revision changes that. The new document adds two annexes. One offers guidance for establishing and maintaining consistent loudness for streaming media services. It covers both metadata-based and non-metadata-based audio codecs. The other provides a Loudness and True Peak Quick Reference to simplify implementation. Engineers and content providers now have clearer instructions for measurement, monitoring, production, metadata management, dynamic-range control and loudness management across the entire chain.
Madeleine Noland, president of ATSC, captured the shift. “As audiences increasingly consume content across both over-the-air and streaming platforms, maintaining a consistent listening experience has become more important than ever,” she said in the organization’s announcement. “This update to A/85 gives the industry practical, contemporary guidance that reflects today’s production and distribution workflows while preserving the high-quality viewer experience broadcasters have worked to deliver for many years.” (ATSC)
The timing feels deliberate. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 576 into law in October 2025. It prohibits video streaming services from transmitting commercials louder than the content they accompany. The measure takes direct aim at the exact problem A/85 now addresses with greater precision. It builds on the CALM Act but applies the same principle to over-the-top platforms. And the effects may reach far beyond state lines.
Analysts expect national impact. “So as goes California, goes the nation,” one report noted after the signing. (CBS News) Streaming giants often prefer uniform policies rather than geo-fenced adjustments. Similar legislation passed in Illinois, set for 2027. Pressure builds for consistency everywhere.
Yet technical challenges remain. Metadata-based systems can carry loudness normalization tags through the delivery pipeline. Non-metadata codecs require different approaches. The new annex tackles both. It draws on more than a decade of real-world lessons since the last revision. Broadcasters learned what works. Streaming providers can now borrow that knowledge without starting from scratch.
The original CALM Act focused on broadcast, cable and satellite. FCC rules enforced it. Stations invested in loudness meters and processors. Compliance became routine. Streaming lagged. Dynamic ad insertion created fresh complications. Ads from multiple sources arrived at different levels. Without standardized guidance, platforms relied on ad hoc solutions. Some worked. Others produced the very spikes viewers despised.
ATSC’s document doesn’t impose new regulations. It offers recommended practices. But its influence runs deep. Many streaming services already align with industry standards to avoid future legal headaches. The revision gives them a roadmap. It also helps smaller players and international services that distribute into the U.S. market.
Industry reaction has been positive but measured. Audio post professionals on forums pointed to the update’s value beyond streaming. One Reddit discussion highlighted its applicability to all content creation. “It comes from the broadcast world, but applies to streaming, too,” a user noted, recommending the full document for its test files, room setup advice and dynamic range explanations. (Reddit)
TV Technology covered the release in detail. The publication emphasized how the update supports the industry’s move toward IP-based and hybrid delivery models. Consistent audio matters more as viewers flip between antenna signals and apps on the same screen. (TV Technology)
Earlier coverage anticipated parts of this shift. A 2022 TechRadar article celebrated initial moves to include streaming within volume limits, though the full technical revision took additional years. That piece captured viewer relief at the prospect of change. (TechRadar)
Implementation won’t happen overnight. Services must audit their ad pipelines. They need to integrate new measurement protocols. Testing will follow. Some platforms already normalize audio to -24 LKFS, the target loudness range long used in broadcast. Others will adjust. The true peak limit of -2 dBTP remains a key guardrail against distortion.
Consumer benefits look clear. Fewer startled jumps from the couch. Better experiences for families, shift workers and anyone sensitive to sudden noise. Advertisers gain too. Commercials that don’t annoy viewers may drive stronger engagement. Brands avoid association with poor user experiences.
But questions linger on enforcement. California’s law leaves details to regulators. How will the state monitor thousands of streaming feeds? Will it rely on complaints or proactive testing? The ATSC guidance provides the technical foundation. Actual compliance will test the system.
Broader trends point to more convergence. ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV, already blends broadcast with broadband elements. Its audio capabilities support immersive sound and personalization. Loudness consistency forms a basic building block. Without it, advanced features lose appeal.
The revision also reflects lessons from the past. Early CALM Act enforcement revealed gaps in measurement techniques. Some stations measured incorrectly. Others applied processing too aggressively. The 2026 update incorporates fixes. It clarifies procedures. It reduces ambiguity that once led to violations.
So the industry moves forward. Not with fanfare. But with a practical document that aligns technical standards to consumer expectations and new legal requirements. Viewers may not notice the change at first. They will simply hear less disruption. And that quiet satisfaction may prove the most powerful result.
One thing feels certain. The days of unchecked loud streaming ads are numbered. Technical guidance now exists. Laws stand ready to back it up. The combination should deliver the consistent experience audiences have demanded for years.
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