Streaming ads may be quieter this week.
A California law banning streaming services from showing ads “louder than the video content” they accompany will go into effect on Wednesday, July 1. (Existing legislation already imposes similar volume limits on broadcast and cable television advertising.)
Ars Technica notes streaming services did not share further details on how they plan to comply with the law. While the volume limits only apply to California for now, it’s likely that any relevant changes will apply more broadly, especially similar bill It will go into effect in Illinois next year.
When the law was adopted in 2025its sponsor, state Sen. Thomas Umberg, said it was “inspired by every tired parent who’s finally put their baby to sleep, only to have all that hard work undone by a loud broadcast ad.”
Industry groups, including the Motion Picture Association of America and the Alliance for Streaming Innovation, opposed the bill, arguing that broadcasters are already working to fix the problem and noting that they have to deal with a variety of output devices, including TVs, tablets and phones.
