Streaming services are now required to turn the dial down on commercial advertisements that blare louder than providers’ content under legislation signed into law this week by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The law was inspired by baby Samantha — whose dad is Zach Keller, legislative director for Tom Umberg, the state senator who authored the bill — as well as exhausted parents across the state who have "finally gotten a baby to sleep, only to have a blaring streaming ad undo all that hard work", Umberg said.
"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 programme," Newsom said.
California’s new law is meant to ensure that, within the state, streaming services including Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video will be prohibited from playing commercials louder than the shows and films they offer on their platforms. — TCA
