California Bill Could End Loud Streaming Ads Nationwide

We've all been there, you're settling into your favorite show at a reasonable volume when suddenly a streaming ad explodes through your speakers like an air horn at 2 AM. Your neighbors probably think you're hosting a midnight infomercial convention. Really, you're just another victim of streaming's most annoying problem: commercials that blast way louder than the show you were just watching. California decided to do something about it, and the fix could help viewers across the country.

Senate Bill 576 is sailing through California's legislature with the kind of bipartisan support that hardly ever happens. The bill would force streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video to follow the same volume rules that traditional TV broadcasters have followed for over a decade. What makes this interesting is California's market leverage. Companies generally don't create separate policies for California versus other markets due to the state's size, so the rule could become a de facto national standard.

The legislation passed the state Senate unanimously and moved quickly through Assembly committee. Now it sits on Governor Newsom's desk, and if he signs it, the commercial volume restrictions for streaming services would take effect on July 1, 2026. That timeline gives streaming platforms nearly two years to make the needed technical changes, more than enough time since the underlying audio normalization standards already exist and have worked for traditional broadcasters.