California Just Banned This on Streaming, and It's About Time

Because I am... let's say... an anxious person, I like to fall asleep while watching something, usually on a streaming service or YouTube.

And more than once, I have been jolted awake by a commercial break where the volume is blasting, much louder than whatever programming is on.

Starting July 1, 2026, streaming platforms will no longer be able to do this in the state of California.

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed State Bill 576, which prohibits streaming services from airing commercials louder than the programs subscribers are watching (via The Hollywood Reporter).

The new law requires that the noise level of commercials is at the same level as the movie or TV series being streamed, the same standards as traditional broadcasters under the FCC's Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, which has regulated TV and cable volumes since 2012.

The bill was authored by State Senator Tom Umberg, who was inspired by a complaint from his legislative director, Zach Keller, about loud commercials waking Keller's newborn daughter, Samantha (via TechCrunch).

"We heard Californians loud and clear, and what's clear is that they don't want commercials at a volume any louder than the level at which they were previously enjoying a program," Newsom said in a statement. "By signing SB 576, 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 was passed unanimously in both the State Senate and Assembly earlier this month.

The Motion Picture Association initially opposed the bill. The MPA argued that streaming services were already "voluntarily" working to address loud advertisements and claimed the bill was unnecessary, according to analysis from Senate legislative committee staff.

As SlashFilm points out, streamers have had over a decade to voluntarily follow the same rules that apply to traditional broadcasters.

There's no word yet on whether other states will follow suit.

CalMatters notes that California's entertainment industry has donated at least $204,000 to lawmakers since 2015, giving the industry significant influence over policymaking in the state.

However, California's influence in the entertainment world means this could encourage streaming platforms to reduce commercial volumes nationwide, rather than maintaining different standards for different states.