Starting Wednesday, July 1, a California law takes effect that prohibits streaming services from showing advertisements louder than the video content they accompany. The regulation extends existing volume restrictions already in place for broadcast and cable TV to the on-demand world. Streaming platforms have not yet detailed how they plan to comply, but changes are expected to roll out nationwide, especially as a similar bill is set to take effect in Illinois next year.
A Year in the Making for the New Law
The law was passed in 2025 and sponsored by State Senator Thomas Umberg, who said it was inspired by every exhausted parent who finally gets a baby to sleep, only to have a blaring streaming ad undo all that hard work. The text requires that ad volume be equal to or lower than the main content, using technical measures to avoid sudden spikes. While traditional broadcasters already follow similar rules under the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, this is the first state law directly targeting streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
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Lawmakers vs. Industry Voices
The approval faced opposition from trade groups such as the Motion Picture Association of America and the Streaming Innovation Alliance. They argued that streamers were already addressing the issue and that the variety of output devices — TVs, tablets, phones — makes uniform volume control difficult. However, Senator Umberg stressed that consumer annoyance is real and the law is a necessary consumer protection measure. This is not the first time tech regulations spark debate: similar tensions emerged with recent EU rules, as covered in this related article, where companies must balance innovation and compliance.
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Global Impact Beyond California
Although the law only applies in California, experts expect changes to be extended nationwide for practical reasons. Content providers are unlikely to adopt state-specific policies, and the upcoming Illinois law in 2027 will accelerate harmonization. For international audiences, the development matters: many streaming services operate globally and may introduce similar adjustments in Europe, where loud ads have long drawn criticism. For more background, refer to the Wikipedia entry on television advertisements and volume regulations.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/28/california-law-targeting-loud-streaming-ads-takes-effect-on-july-1
