California Governor signs bill banning 'noisy ads,' banning commercials that are louder than the content you're watching on Netflix or YouTube
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law that will restrict commercials that are louder than the content being viewed, helping Californians avoid unexpectedly loud ads on Netflix and YouTube.
No more loud commercials: Governor Newsom signs SB 576 | Governor of California
California bans noisy ads on Netflix, YouTube, and other streamers | The Verge
'Dial it down': California forces Netflix, Hulu to lower ad volume - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/06/dial-it-down-california-forces-netflix-hulu-to-lower-ad-volume-00595663
Governor Newsom signed SB 576, the Commercial Advertising Volume Control Act, which originally required television networks to limit the volume of commercials to less than the content being broadcast. Now, this law also applies to streaming services.
This will prohibit streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and YouTube from playing advertisements at a volume louder than the content they are playing, and is scheduled to become mandatory from July 2026 onwards.
California State Senator Tom Amberg, who authored the bill, said the idea for the bill came from state Assembly leader Zach Keller, who complained that loud ads were waking his young daughter, Samantha.
'This bill was inspired by baby Samantha and all the exhausted parents who have had their efforts to get their baby to sleep ruined by loud ads,' said Senator Amberg. 'By ensuring ads cannot be louder than content, we will bring much-needed peace and quiet to California families.'
The bill was challenged by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents entertainment companies like Disney, Paramount, and Netflix, who said streaming platforms lack the ability to control volume settings on devices, let alone regulate ads from thousands of advertisers.
'Unlike broadcast and cable networks, where advertisers sell ads directly, streaming ads come from multiple different sources that the streaming platform doesn't necessarily have control over,' said Melissa Pathak, state government relations officer for the MPA.
However, MPAs withdrew their opposition after Senator Amberg added legal provisions to protect streaming services from private lawsuits and left enforcement to state attorneys general's offices.
Related Posts:
in Web Service, Posted by log1p_kr