California law bans loud commercials on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video
There are few things less enjoyable while watching a TV show or sports event than to immediately get hit in the eardrums with an excessively loud commercial.
If you live in California, those days are over. And there’s a decent chance that will radiate out across the entire nation.
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning excessively loud commercials and ads on streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
The new California law, SB 576, aims to address what the Federal Communications Commission has called a “troubling jump” in TV advertising volume complaints, especially by streaming services that air commercials louder than the shows, movies, or live programming they interrupt.
This law is modeled after a federal law from 2010 that limits ad volumes on cable and broadcast television, but does not apply to streaming services. The bill was unanimously passed on the Senate and Assembly floors earlier this month in Sacramento.
“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. “California is dialing down this inconvenience across streaming platforms.”
The change goes into effect on July 1, 2026. At that point, streaming services will no longer be able to “transmit the audio of commercial advertisements louder than the video content the advertisements accompany,” per the bill.
The Motion Picture Association, which lobbies on behalf of Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Amazon MGM Studios, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery, had initially opposed the effort. They dropped their opposition after legal provisions shielding streamers from lawsuits brought by private parties were added to the bill.
Given the influence California has in the entertainment industry, where many streamers are based or conduct business, it’s thought that it may lead to streamers limiting commercial volumes nationwide to avoid further issues or similar legislation.
