California’s Ban on Loud Streaming Ads Takes Effect July 1
Synopsis
A new California law will prohibit streaming platforms from airing advertisements louder than the content they accompany, potentially bringing quieter viewing experiences to millions of users and setting a precedent for other states.
California will soon clamp down on ad volume in the state’s streaming osphere on July 1 to better keep pace with what they accompany, plugging a hole since streaming surpassed regular television watching.
California Senate Bill 576 applies to all ad-supported streaming services in the state.
The bill extends the principle set into effect by the federal Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, established in 2010, which covers broadcast and cable TV commercials.
However, the CALM Act never expanded its coverage to the internet. The need becomes apparent to consumers when advertisers sound far louder than the movies,TV shows and live programming interrupted by them.
New Compliance standard
Streaming Advertising now in a new standard Following the expansion of advertising into the realm of streaming businesses, this is the time for many companies to make a move. With many streaming services already actively pursuing non- subscription-based revenue models, the usage of low-cost, advertising- supported streams still sees a growing trend.
Streaming usage accounts have exploded due to the move towards advertising, thus renewing long-standing challenges related to inconsistent advertising quantities.
California legislators said that their bill is also representative of changing viewer habits and television viewing,as in numerous households, streaming takes up more than one-third of that viewing time compared with cable.
For these cases, the state hopes their use of common audio standards may give viewers an even, less disruptive viewing experience .
California Leads as Other States Watch
The California bill that regulates streaming ads becomes a first in the United States. Thus far, there have been no specific state regulations for advertising loudness and, on July 1, 2027, the neighboring state of Illinois will implement similar advertising legislation.
Federal regulators remain aware of the issue too. According to federal reports from early 2024, it is estimated that close to 1,700 people lodged complaints regarding unusually loud advertisements; this number is almost doubled from last year, when about 825 people called in regarding commercials.
Since this number concerns complaints made about services protected by federal law, it doesn’t apply to ads that have already streamed in internet-enabled devices because of lack of oversight by The federal Communications Commission.
During the process, advertising groups such as The Motion Picture Association, and the Streaming Innovation Alliance, have advocated that several technologies already exist for streaming services to control the audio level on all their associated devices, such as smartphones, Smart TVs and Tablets.
But California legislators chose to protect all consumers in the same way no matter how they prefer to consume their favorite programming.
Source: TechCrunch
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Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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