California has passed a law that bans excessively loud commercials on streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video

There are few things less enjoyable while watching a TV show or sports event than to immediately get hit in the eardrums with an excessively loud commercial.

If you live in California, those days are over. And there’s a decent chance that will radiate out across the entire nation
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning excessively loud commercials and ads on streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.

The new California law, SB 576, aims to address what the Federal Communications Commission has called a “troubling jump” in TV advertising volume complaints, especially by streaming services that air commercials louder than the shows, movies, or live programming they interrupt.
This law is modeled after a federal law from 2010 that limits ad volumes on cable and broadcast television, but does not apply to streaming services. The bill was unanimously passed on the Senate and Assembly floors earlier this month in Sacramento.

“We heard Californians loud and clear, and what’s clear is that they don’t want commercials at a volume any louder than the level at which they were previously enjoying a program,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is dialing down this inconvenience across streaming platforms.”

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