California Governor Gavin Newsom has put his signature on a fresh directive, SB 576, as detailed in a statement on KTLA, intending to curb the jarring spikes in volume that have become an all-too-common occurrence during streaming service ad breaks. Duplicating the intent of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which took aim at cable and broadcast TV over a decade ago, this new legislation mandates that these modern purveyors of on-demand entertainment keep their commercials' decibel levels in line with that of their main content.
Citing the nuisance faced by users having their tranquility shattered by blasting commercial audio, Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana), the bill's author, highlighted the need for the law, saying, "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" in his remarks publicized by the California Governor's official website, Newsom echoed this sentiment, proudly acknowledging the people's voice as the catalyst for bringing the law to life.
Offering a glimpse into the everyday irritations that inspired SB 576's creation, Umberg recounted the story of "baby Samantha" – a stand-in for every child (and by extension, the frazzled parents) who've been abruptly roused from slumber by a boisterous ad – and affirmed the legislation's goal of fostering domestic tranquility, as reported by KTLA, he said, "SB 576 brings some much-needed peace and quiet to California households by making sure streaming ads aren’t louder than the shows we actually want to watch."
The change won't take immediate effect, streaming services have been given a runway until July 1, 2026, to bring their technical setups into compliance, the law catches up to the shift in how media is consumed, as streaming has surged forward, becoming the dominant form of television engagement for many, yet until Newsom assented to SB 576, these platforms had sidestepped the audio regulations placed on their traditional broadcast counterparts, leaving users at the mercy of their volume buttons during ad transitions.
