California has enacted a law to regulate the volume of commercials on streaming platforms, aligning them with the content's audio levels starting July 1, 2026.

On October 7, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law aimed at regulating the volume of commercials on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video. The legislation mandates that starting July 1, 2026, the audio of commercial advertisements must not be louder than the content they accompany. This move responds to public complaints about the disruptive nature of loud ads, particularly affecting parents with young children. The law is modeled after the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act of 2010, which already applies to traditional television broadcasts. Senator Tom Umberg, who authored the bill, highlighted a personal anecdote about his legislative director's newborn being disturbed by loud ads as a key motivator for the legislation. The new regulations may influence streaming services nationwide, given California's significant role in the entertainment industry.