California has passed a new law aimed at putting a stop to those jarring moments when a streaming ad comes in way louder than the show. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 576, which mandates that starting July 1, 2026, advertisements on services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ must match the average sound level of the program they interrupt.

The law mirrors the federal CALM Act (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) that already regulates commercial volume on broadcast TV and cable—but which didn’t cover streaming.

Senator Tom Umberg introduced the bill after a personal incident: a staffer complained that her infant was awakened by booming ads during streaming. Critics from Hollywood and platform advocates warned that ad volume comes from disparate ad sources and may be tricky to standardize; some fear technical challenges. However, California has limited legal recourse under the new law: only state prosecutors or the attorney general can enforce it, shielding private lawsuits.

Because many streaming companies are based in California, the law has potential to push industry-wide changes across the U.S