Streaming services in California will have to ensure that their commercials are no louder than the the shows surrounding them
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill, SB 576, that bars the services “from transmitting the audio of commercial advertisements louder than the video content the advertisements accompany.” The legislation cleared the legislature with no opposition.
“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.
The governor noted that federal law — the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act of 2010 — already prohibits TV stations and cable operators from featuring the loud commercials. The state bill extends the restrictions to streamers, who increasingly have been turning to advertising as part of their business models.
Sen. Thomas Umberg, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, said in a statement, “This bill was inspired by baby Samantha and every exhausted parent who’s finally gotten a baby to sleep, only to have a blaring streaming ad undo all that hard work.”
About the Author
