A New Law Just Made the Worst Thing about Streaming Illegal With a Ban in One American State

by

Many streaming subscribers find loud ads particularly frustrating. Thankfully, California is taking action to address this issue. Starting next year, streaming services will be required to ensure ads aren’t significantly louder than the shows or videos people are watching, preventing those jarring, unexpectedly loud blasts.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new law, SB 576, to prevent streaming services from using excessively loud advertisements that could startle babies, frighten pets, or damage hearing. This extends existing federal rules about TV ad volume to streaming platforms within the state. The law takes effect on July 1, 2026, giving streaming services time to adjust and work with their advertising partners.

I was at the bill signing yesterday, and Governor Newsom really hit the nail on the head. He explained that Californians have been speaking up, and they’ve made it perfectly clear: they want commercials at a reasonable volume – basically, they don’t want to be blasted by ads when they’re just trying to enjoy their shows. It’s about keeping the volume consistent, and respecting viewers’ experience.

Will Quieter Ads Become the Norm?


United Artists

Streamers are already trying to soften the impact of their ads, using similar methods to those proposed in this bill. However, if a major state passes a law restricting excessively loud commercials during streams and videos, it could have a significant impact.

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) opposes the new bill, arguing that its member companies have been trying to lower ad volumes for years, but loud commercials still exist. This indicates that their current voluntary efforts aren’t effective. As a result, streaming services will likely have to guarantee their ads meet specific volume limits for viewers in California.

As a viewer, I really think California’s move to quiet those super loud ads could be a game changer! It just doesn’t make sense for streaming platforms to have different ad volumes for everyone, so I expect they’ll just lower the volume across the board once they’re required to. Honestly, it’s about time! So many of us are choosing ad-supported plans now to save money, and constantly being blasted by loud commercials was a major pain point. This feels like a solution that could finally fix a problem we’ve all been dealing with for years.

Read More

2025-10-08 02:14