This week, streaming advertisements may become significantly quieter.

A law in California that prohibits streaming platforms from displaying ads “louder than the accompanying video content” is scheduled to be enforced on Wednesday, July 1. (Current laws already impose similar volume limits on television commercials in both broadcasting and cable.) 

Ars Technica points out that streaming platforms have not disclosed further information on how they will adhere to the legislation. Although the volume restrictions currently only affect California, any necessary adjustments are likely to be implemented on a wider scale, particularly with a comparable measure about to be enacted in Illinois next year.

When the legislation was enacted in 2025, its proponent, State Senator Thomas Umberg, remarked that it was motivated by “every weary parent who has finally managed to put a baby to sleep, only to have a loud streaming advertisement ruin all their efforts.” 

Trade organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America and the Streaming Innovation Alliance opposed the legislation, asserting that streaming services were already taking steps to resolve the problem, while also highlighting the challenges posed by varying output devices, including televisions, tablets, and smartphones.