Newsom Signs Bill That Restricts Streaming Ad Volume

Streaming services in California will need to make sure their ads aren’t louder than the shows around them.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill, SB 576, that prohibits services “from transmitting the audio of commercial advertisements louder than the video content that the advertisements accompany.” The legislation cleared the legislature without opposition.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from Californians, and what’s clear is that they don’t want commercials at a volume louder than the level at which they previously enjoyed a program,” Newsom said in a statement.

The governor noted that federal law – the Commercial Advertising Surge Mitigation Act of 2010 – already prohibits television stations and cable operators from showing the loud commercials. The state bill extends restrictions to streamers, who have increasingly turned to advertising as part of their business models.

Sen. Thomas Umberg, one of the legislation’s co-sponsors, said in a statement: “This bill was inspired by baby Samantha and every exhausted parent who finally puts a baby to sleep, only to have a streaming ad blaring to unwind all that hard work.”