California bans noisy ads on Netflix, YouTube, and other streaming services

California has ordered streaming services similar Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and YouTube to halt cranking up the measurement during commercialized breaks. Under a instrumentality signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom connected Monday, advertisements volition beryllium required to aerial astatine the aforesaid measurement arsenic contented being streamed connected the provider’s level starting July 2026.

Bill 576 was introduced successful February by California authorities legislator Tom Umberg, citing a ailment from 1 of his staffers astir the skyrocketing measurement of streaming ads disturbing the slumber of his newborn. In a statement pursuing the measure being signed into law, Umberg said it was inspired by “every exhausted genitor who’s yet gotten a babe to sleep, lone to person a blaring streaming advertisement undo each that hard work.”

The authorities is modeled connected the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which enforces advertisement measurement restrictions for TV broadcasters astatine the national level, but doesn’t use to streamers. Given California’s monolithic power implicit the US amusement industry, the caller instrumentality could acceptable a nationalist standard.

“We heard Californians large and clear, and what’s wide is that they don’t privation commercials astatine a measurement immoderate louder than the level astatine which they were antecedently enjoying a program,” Newsom said successful a statement. “By signing SB 576, California is dialing down this inconvenience crossed streaming platforms, which had antecedently not been taxable to commercialized measurement regulations passed by Congress successful 2010.”