California has turned down the volume on obnoxiously loud streaming ads. Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday signed Senate Bill 576, a new law that bans streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu from playing advertisements that are substantially louder than the shows they accompany. The measure brings streaming platforms under the same noise limits already applied to television and cable broadcasters under the federal Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, signed by President Barack Obama in 2010. That law, enforced by the Federal Communications Commission, requires that commercials maintain a consistent average volume with the programs they interrupt.
Streaming platforms were still emerging when the federal law passed, leaving them unregulated in this area. Congress has since attempted to update the law to include digital streaming, but those efforts have stalled. In a statement announcing his signature, Newsom said the state is responding to a common frustration. “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,” he said. “By signing SB 576, California is dialing down this inconvenience across streaming platforms.” The bill, authored by Sen. Tom Umberg (D–Santa Ana), passed the Legislature without a single opposing vote. Umberg said he was inspired to introduce the legislation after hearing from his legislative director, whose infant daughter was repeatedly woken up by blaring streaming ads. “This bill was inspired by baby Samantha and every exhausted parent who’s finally gotten a baby to sleep, only to have a blaring streaming ad undo all that hard work,” Umberg said. “SB 576 brings some much-needed peace and quiet to California households.”
Despite bipartisan support, the measure drew pushback from entertainment industry groups including the Motion Picture Association of America, which argued it would impose unnecessary regulation on streaming companies. The new law takes effect January 1, 2026.
REALLY ? ? ? ?
As usual, democrat solution for a problem is another law.
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“…infant daughter was repeatedly woken up by blaring streaming ads”
A parent who can’t figure out a solution to an obvious problem.
Hope they were smart enough not to have a dog.
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With all the problems our state has, priorities of state legislature
continue to amaze. If streaming media wakes up infant, make changes
in the home to eliminate the problem.
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Additional proof, state legislature is in dire need of
ADULT SUPERVISION ! ! ! !
Seriously? We’ll keep the decibels down so you can tuck the baby in with you and let her little brain absorb some 5G RF radiation. Good work mamma! ‘Cause it’s all about Meeeeee!
I also hate those pumped up ad volumes…
…but I have a finger that I’ve trained to hit the mute (sometimes before the first Ad note plays.
More money wasted on stupid s#!t. Thanks Gavin….glad you are paying attention to important things!!!! obvious sarcasm.
That’s what he’s spending his time on?????? C’mon Gavin!
Why don’t they ban LOUD BOOM BOOM music in cars that rumbles & shakes all the other cars around them?
Not just irritating but unsafe too!
And ban all those so called songs shouting obscenities & racial slurs as well!
DARWIN AWARD,
Crank up the bass and collapse a lung.
Culling of the stupid.
Priorities
I am so glad Newscum was able to fit this into his Presidential Campaign program. I wonder if his TDS or this issue was more important to him.
On any streaming services I have that play ads I hit the mute button as soon as the ad break comes up. You get to see a bunch of manic silly acting people trying to convince you of buying something you probably don’t want or can’t afford anyway. Or ads for some drug that tells you what it does in the first 10 seconds and the remaining 50 it’s side effects. What a dystopian nightmare.
Can we ban political ads, I’m sure someone’s baby is disturbed by the dramatic background music and disparaging words throughout.
Right now, all of my steaming services are ad-free, except for Amazon, which I won’t watch anymore. But all streaming services are raising their rates, and I may be forced to re-evaluate my priorities.
Yes, they are raising rates and trying to make us feel sorry for them like they’re a charity. Sometimes they act like a charity. Some are really scraping to find content. The writers strike didn’t help much either. Comcast often asks in the monthly billing if I want to keep Peacock which is strange but so much of their content is reality shows that I’m not interested in and they probably know in the long run it’s going to work for them.
Thinking about all the smucks out there that can’t operate a volume button.
Salty here.. maybe this will apply to Newscums own commercials he is blasting everyone.
just another move by a dirtbag to revive his 2028 ambitions
Salty Out!
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