Will California's New Streaming Ad Law Become the Unofficial National Standard for Volume Regulation

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a new bill, Senate Bill 576 (SB 576), into law to regulate the volume of commercial advertisements on streaming video services that operate within the state. The legislation is designed to stop ads from having an audio level significantly louder than the programs they interrupt, addressing a long standing and growing source of consumer frustration.

The new law expands on the existing federal Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act of 2010. While the federal CALM Act applied volume regulations to traditional broadcast television stations and cable operators, it did not cover streaming platforms like Netflix (on its ad supported tier), Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and others. SB 576 closes this loophole, mandating that the average volume of commercial advertisements on streaming services must be consistent with the programming.

The law, which will go into effect on July 1, 2026, requires streaming services to ensure that the audio of commercial advertisements is not louder than the video content they accompany. The bill was inspired by the real life frustration of a legislative director whose infant daughter was repeatedly woken up by blaring streaming ads, highlighting the practical inconvenience of the volume disparity.

Due to California's massive influence on the entertainment and technology industries, this state law is widely expected to set a de facto national standard. Major streaming companies, many of which are based in California, will likely find it more efficient to adjust their ad volume systems nationwide rather than creating separate systems just for California consumers. This would bring a nationwide benefit to millions of viewers who have been complaining about the startling change in volume between a show and its commercials. Although initial opposition from industry groups cited the technical difficulty of regulating ads from various sources, the bipartisan supported bill passed after amendments transferred enforcement responsibility solely to the state attorney general, protecting platforms from private lawsuits.