It’s time to cheer — at a volume level appropriate to whatever you have playing in the background! Governor and expert TikToker Gavin Newsom passed a new law that would ban advertisements on streaming platforms from being louder than the program itself. “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 shared in a statement that can now be understood since there won’t be loud commercials. Streamers are required to make changes by July 1, 2026, when the law goes into effect. This law adds to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act from 2010, which banned loud commercials from network and cable channels.
The law comes at a time when more and more streamers are offering paid subscriptions with ads. Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Paramount+, and more all offer discounted tiers for those who are willing to watch ads in order to save a few extra bucks a month — and when you subscribe to multiple services, it adds up. Starting next year, those who don’t have ad-free viewing subscriptions will no longer be interrupted by annoying loud ads while catching up on The Pitt.
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Now, let’s get mirror that energy to the rest of the country.
