EBU R128 and PAD: Broadcast Loudness Delivery in France
The -23 LUFS target, true peak, and what French PAD delivery actually requires.
By Hanna Eng·Audio engineer, Abbey Road Institute Paris
Television runs on the EBU R128 standard: an integrated loudness of -23 LUFS (±1 LU tolerance) and a true peak ceiling of -1 dBTP. But French PAD delivery goes further: the CST-RT-040 recommendation keeps -23 LUFS and requires a stricter true peak of -3 dBTP, at 48 kHz and 24-bit. Don't conflate the two: -1 dBTP is the EBU production limit, -3 dBTP is the ceiling required for French PAD delivery.
When a programme, a documentary, or an ad airs on French television, its level is not a matter of taste: it is a standard, and an out-of-spec file is rejected on delivery. Two frameworks stack: the European EBU R128 standard, which sets loudness at -23 LUFS, and PAD delivery (prêt à diffuser, ready to broadcast), which adds France's technical requirements from the CST. Most mistakes come from confusing the two. Here is what each requires, with the right numbers.
EBU R128 vs French PAD delivery: the numbers
| Parameter | EBU R128 | PAD delivery (CST-RT-040) |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated loudness | -23 LUFS | -23 LUFS (±1 LU, programmes over 2 min) |
| Maximum true peak | -1 dBTP | -3 dBTP |
| Loudness range (LRA) | indicative measure | under 20 LU (long programmes) |
| Sample rate | not specified | 48 kHz |
| Bit depth | not specified | 24-bit (linear PCM) |
| Measurement algorithm | ITU-R BS.1770 | ITU-R BS.1770 |
Sources: EBU R128 (tech.ebu.ch); CST-RT-040-TV v1.2 (ficam.fr).
Loudness, not peak: what LUFS measures
A file can show well-managed peaks and still sound too loud, or too quiet, to the ear. Peak (dBFS) measures the highest sample; loudness (LUFS) measures perceived loudness over time, weighted the way the ear hears. Television is set by loudness, not by peak: that is what stops an ad from screaming right after a quiet documentary.
So LUFS and dBFS are not interchangeable. You aim for a loudness target so programmes match, and you keep a peak ceiling to avoid distortion on conversion. R128 sets both.
EBU R128: -23 LUFS, true peak, and the measurement windows
The European EBU R128 standard sets the target: an integrated loudness of -23 LUFS, measured across the whole programme. The normal tolerance is ±0.5 LU; it widens to ±1 LU where the exact target is not achievable, for live for example. A further ±0.2 LU is allowed for measurement uncertainty. True peak must not exceed -1 dBTP in production.
Measurement is read over three windows: momentary (400 ms), short-term (3 s), and integrated (the whole programme). The calculation applies a gate that ignores silence: an absolute gate at -70 LUFS and a relative gate 10 LU below the average level. The underlying algorithm is ITU-R BS.1770. On the documents: R128 is the recommendation, supplemented by EBU Tech 3341 (the EBU Mode metering), 3342 (loudness range), and 3343 (production guidelines).
PAD delivery: what the CST requires on top
In France, delivering for television does not stop at R128. The final file, the PAD (prêt à diffuser), must meet the CST technical recommendation, document CST-RT-040 for file-based delivery. It keeps -23 LUFS (±1 LU for programmes over two minutes) and adds its own constraints: a loudness range under 20 LU on long programmes, a file at 48 kHz and 24-bit.
The framework is regulatory, not only technical: the CSA deliberation (the CSA is now Arcom) of 19 July 2011 made -23 LUFS mandatory for programmes and ads on French television. An out-of-spec PAD is not a finishing detail, it is grounds for rejection.
-1 or -3 dBTP? the mistake to avoid
This is the most common trap, and the reason this page exists. EBU R128 allows true peak up to -1 dBTP in production. But French PAD delivery requires a stricter ceiling: -3 dBTP. Both numbers are correct, simply for two different contexts.
Why -3 and not -1 at delivery? Because the file is still going to be encoded and then broadcast downstream, and each step can push peaks back up. The extra margin protects the signal all the way to air. In practice: you mix to R128, but you deliver a French PAD at -3 dBTP, not -1. Conflating the two gets the file bounced.
Track mapping and versions
A PAD is not just a level, it is also a precise track layout. CST-RT-040 sets the placement: mono on two identical in-phase tracks, stereo with left on odd tracks and right on even, 5.1 per the ITU-R BS.775 channel allocation. Add the versions the channel expects: French version, multilingual version, audio-described version.
A 1 kHz alignment tone, set to -18 dBFS, opens the file as a reference. These details look secondary; they are in fact among the most common reasons for rejection, right alongside loudness.
Short or long programmes: the rule changes
The standard does not treat a thirty-second spot like a fifty-two-minute documentary. For a long programme, over two minutes, you aim for -23 LUFS with the ±1 LU tolerance and a controlled loudness range. For a short programme, two minutes or less, the integrated measure becomes unstable, so the PAD frames the short-term instead: the maximum short-term stays under -20 LUFS.
Put simply: an ad is set tightly over its short duration, a long programme is set on its average. Aiming for the same thing in both cases is a method error.
Broadcast or streaming: don't re-target
A master for television lives at -23 LUFS. A master for streaming lives louder: Spotify normalizes around -14 LUFS, Apple Music and podcasts around -16 LUFS. This is not a contradiction, they are two worlds.
The mistake would be to take a -23 LUFS PAD and push it for an online release, or the reverse. Each destination has its target; you start from the mix and set the loudness at delivery, once per destination. For the streaming targets in detail, the dedicated loudness guide goes further.
Measuring and delivering cleanly
I measure with an EBU Mode compliant loudness meter, across the whole programme and not on an isolated passage: it is the integrated loudness that counts. Pro Tools and DaVinci Resolve (Fairlight) both provide one. The sequence is always the same: mix, measure the integrated value, adjust the overall level, check true peak, then export to the required format.
Clean first, mix second, set the loudness last: never the other way around. And when I handle both the sound and the picture, the PAD goes out in the same hands, with no round-trip that degrades the file.
Frequently asked questions
What loudness for French television?
An integrated loudness of -23 LUFS, per the EBU R128 standard, with a ±1 LU tolerance on programmes over two minutes. It is a regulatory requirement in France since the CSA (now Arcom) deliberation of 19 July 2011.
What true peak for a French PAD?
-3 dBTP, not -1 dBTP. EBU R128 sets -1 dBTP as the production limit, but French PAD delivery (CST-RT-040) requires a stricter -3 dBTP ceiling, to keep margin before encoding and broadcast. This is the most common delivery mistake.
What is the difference between EBU R128 and PAD?
EBU R128 is the European loudness standard (-23 LUFS, -1 dBTP). PAD is the French delivery: it keeps R128 and adds the CST requirements (true peak -3 dBTP, 48 kHz / 24-bit, track mapping, versions). Every PAD meets R128, but R128 alone is not enough for a PAD.
What does PAD mean?
Prêt À Diffuser (ready to broadcast): the final master, graded picture and mixed sound, conformed to the channel's technical requirements and delivered for broadcast. A file that does not meet the PAD specs is rejected before editorial validation.
Why -23 LUFS on TV and -14 LUFS on Spotify?
They are two contexts. Television normalizes to -23 LUFS to preserve dynamics, and it is mandated. Streaming platforms normalize louder at playback: around -14 LUFS for Spotify, -16 LUFS for Apple Music and podcasts. You don't re-target a TV master for streaming.
How do I measure integrated loudness?
With an EBU Mode compliant loudness meter, across the whole programme and not an isolated passage. The calculation applies a gate that ignores silence (absolute gate at -70 LUFS, relative gate 10 LU below the average). Pro Tools and DaVinci Resolve (Fairlight) both include this measurement.
What file format for a PAD?
Audio is delivered at 48 kHz and 24-bit (linear PCM), per CST-RT-040, with the required track mapping and a 1 kHz / -18 dBFS alignment tone. Always confirm the channel's exact delivery sheet, which can specify the container and the video version.