In Brief, posted: Je ne pourrai pas accomplir cette tâche. This week, streaming ads could become less intrusive due to a new California law. The law prohibits streaming services from displaying ads louder than the video content they are associated with, and it will be enforced starting Wednesday, July 1. Similar volume restrictions on broadcast and cable TV commercials are already enforced by current laws. According to Ars Technica, streaming services have not revealed further information regarding their approach to adhering to the legislation. Currently, volume limitations are only in place in California; however, it’s probable that any adjustments will be implemented on a larger scale, particularly with an analogous bill scheduled to be enforced in Illinois in the coming year. In 2025, when the law was enacted, State Senator Thomas Umberg, its proponent, stated that it was motivated by “every fatigued parent who’s ultimately put their baby to sleep, only to have a loud streaming advertisement ruin all their efforts.” The Motion Picture Association of America and the Streaming Innovation Alliance, along with other industry groups, opposed the bill. They argued that streamers were currently addressing the problem and highlighted the challenge of catering to various output devices such as TVs, tablets, and phones.
