New California Law Tells Loud Ads on Streaming Services to Pipe Down

Senate Bill 76, which goes into effect July 1, 2026, outlaws ads that are set at a louder volume than other content on streaming services such as YouTube, Hulu or Netflix's ad-supported tier. It specifically doesn't affect broadcasters because there's already an existing national law, the CALM Act (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) from 2012 that serves the same purpose for that type of programming.

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Playing ads that are louder than other content is one way to draw attention from viewers. But according to California state senator Tom Umberg, a Democrat from Santa Ana who authored the bill, they're the ...