Tired of Loud Ads on Netflix? This New Bill Could Ban Them
8/7/2025 | 2mVideo has Closed Captions
A bipartisan bill would make streaming ads follow TV volume limits.
A California bill would force streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu to follow the same volume rules as broadcast TV, preventing loud commercials from disrupting viewers. Despite industry opposition, the bill has faced little resistance in the legislature.
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SoCal Matters is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal
Tired of Loud Ads on Netflix? This New Bill Could Ban Them
8/7/2025 | 2mVideo has Closed Captions
A California bill would force streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu to follow the same volume rules as broadcast TV, preventing loud commercials from disrupting viewers. Despite industry opposition, the bill has faced little resistance in the legislature.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship-If California's lawmakers have their way, those blaring commercials on streaming platforms might soon have the volume turned down.
A bill sailing through the legislature with bipartisan support would prohibit online streaming services like Netflix and Hulu from cranking up the volume during commercials.
Senate Bill 576 hasn't been a very tough sell for Senator Tom Umberg despite opposition from California's influential entertainment industry -I'm guessing that all of you have been annoyed when you're watching television, streaming television, and a commercial comes on and it is exponentially louder than the other shows.
I see heads nodding "aye".
What this bill does is it simply says that streaming services, platforms need to adhere to the same law that provides that broadcast TV may not elevate the volume of commercials.
-Umberg said he came up with the idea for the bill after one of his staffers complained that a sleeping baby was woken by a loud commercial.
The bill has coasted through the legislature without any lawmaker voting against it.
The proposal would make the platforms comply with the same standards as the 15-year-old federal law that limits how loud traditional television and cable broadcasters can make their advertisements.
When President Barack Obama signed the act, it gave federal regulators authority to issue rules ensuring that the average volume of TV commercials does not exceed the loudness of the programming they accompany.
At the time, streaming services were still in their infancy.
Members of Congress have since tried to add streaming platforms to the law, but two 2023 federal bills didn't get hearings.
Opponents, including streaming services and the movie industry, argue that California's proposal would be difficult for streaming services to implement.
They say streaming service ads don't work like commercials on cable and television networks.
Despite the opposition, the bill seems all but certain to reach Governor Gavin Newsom's desk.
He hasn't indicated whether he'll sign it.
For CalMatters, I'm Ryan Sabalow.
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SoCal Matters is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal