California has passed a new law aimed at quieting blaring advertisements on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video. The law requires commercial volumes to match the audio levels of the content being streamed. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the law on Monday.
Starting July 1, 2026, streaming services will not be allowed to transmit the audio of commercial advertisements louder than the video content the advertisements accompany, according to the bill’s text.
Governor Newsom stated that the state heard Californians loud and clear, and what is clear is that they do not want commercials at a volume any louder than the level at which they were previously enjoying a program. By signing this bill, California is dialing down this inconvenience across streaming platforms, which had previously not been subject to commercial volume regulations passed by Congress in 2010.
The legislation is modeled after the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, which in 2010 barred the audio of TV commercials from being broadcast louder than the television program being aired. With this new legislation, streaming services must comply with the same commercial volume regulations as traditional TV broadcasters in California.
Senate Bill 576 was authored by California State Senator Tom Umberg. He cited a complaint from his legislative director, Zach Keller, about how the loud volume of streaming commercials was waking Keller’s newborn daughter, Samantha. The senator said the bill was inspired by baby Samantha and every exhausted parent who has finally gotten a baby to sleep, only to have a blaring streaming ad undo all that hard work. He stated that the bill brings some much-needed peace and quiet to California households by making sure streaming ads are not louder than the shows people actually want to watch.
Given California’s influence in the entertainment world, this legislation could pressure streaming platforms into cutting down on noisy commercials nationwide.