Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video will no longer be permitted to raise the volume on advertisements in California, a move that could inspire other states to take up similar legislation.
The new state law, which will take effect in July 2026, requires that streaming platforms comply with a 2010 federal law that prevents ads from playing louder than the program they accompany on cable and broadcast operators nationwide. But that law does not apply to streaming platforms.
California is the first state to pass a law that explicitly forces streaming services to comply with federal regulations on ad volume.
âWe heard Californians loud and clear, and whatâs clear is that they donât want commercials at a volume any louder than the level at which they were previously enjoying a program,â Governor Gavin Newsom, said in a press release Monday after signing the bill into law.
The bill was introduced in February by California state Senator Thomas Umberg, who represents parts of northern Orange County. Umberg said it was inspired by his legislative director, Zach Keller, who complained that loud commercials were waking up his infant daughter, Samantha.
âThis bill was inspired by baby Samantha and every exhausted parent whoâs finally gotten a baby to sleep, only to have a blaring streaming ad undo all that hard work,â Umberg said in a press release.
Rachel Keller, Samanthaâs mom, told CBS News: “A lot of times, we have the volume so low that we just have subtitles running and still, the commercial ad volumes are so ear-piercing that it wakes her up.â
The bill initially faced pushback from the Motion Picture Association and Streaming Innovators Alliance, which represents more than 20 streaming platforms, including Max, Netflix and Peacock.
They argued that platforms could not directly control the sound on ads because they are not necessarily sold directly to platforms, unlike broadcast or cable.
Both groups ceased their opposition after Umberg added a provision that prevents private parties, any non-governmental group or individual, from suing platforms, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In 2023, Democrats Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Anna Eshoo introduced a âmodernizedâ version of the law to also cover streaming services but it never made it to the floor. Itâs unclear if the California law could spark a renewed national effort.
The Independent has asked Amazon, Warner Bros., Netflix, HBO, and the Streaming Innovation Alliance for comment. The Motion Picture Association declined to comment for this story.
