California has passed a new law aimed at stopping commercial advertisements from increasing the volume on streaming platforms.
The new law will impact platforms like Disney+, Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video and more.
The law says commercials cannot be louder than the primary content being watched and builds upon a federal law that sets the volume of ads on broadcast TV and cable stations.
It is reminiscent of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act signed by Barack Obama in 2010 that allowed the Federal Communications Commission to ensure advertisement levels didn't exceed the show it accompanies on TV.
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, signed the bill after hearing complaints from Californians.
“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 wrote.
“By signing SB 576, California is dialling down this inconvenience across streaming platforms.”
The measure has faced opposition from an influential media company that argued that the law would be difficult to implement as streamers don’t have the same control over ad volume as broadcasters.
One of the opponents is the Motion Picture Association of America, which has donated at least US$204,000 to lawmakers since 2015, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database.
California is home to the headquarters of Netflix and Hulu, and Amazon produces many of its Prime Video movies and shows there.
The law is set to take effect on and after 1 July 2026.
