This new law could make your streaming experience much quieter

Ever settled in for a late-night movie, found the perfect volume, and then nearly jumped out of your seat when the ad break started? It’s a common streaming frustration that never seems to get fixed.

Thankfully, that frustrating routine could soon become a thing of the past. Per The Hollywood Reporter, streaming platforms serving viewers in California will no longer be allowed to air commercials that sound noticeably louder than the movies or TV shows they’re paired with. The requirement takes effect next week under a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last year that extends loudness rules that have long applied to traditional TV and cable.

Before you get too excited, though, don’t mistake this for California declaring war on streaming ads. Commercials aren’t going anywhere, especially if you’re on an ad-supported subscription tier. What is changing is their volume. Instead of suddenly blasting loudly through your speakers, ads will have to match the overall loudness of the content you’re already watching, making those interruptions less jarring.

Interestingly, the legislation was inspired by an experience familiar to many households. According to the report, Democratic Senator Tom Umberg introduced the bill after his legislative director told him a particularly loud streaming commercial had woken his daughter while he was winding down with a TV show. This moment perfectly captures why so many people find inconsistent ad volume so irritating.

Not everyone was on board with the proposal, though. Entertainment industry groups representing companies including Netflix, Disney, Prime Video, Paramount, Peacock, and Pluto TV opposed the measure. According to a California State Assembly analysis cited by Ars Technica, many streaming services were already working to keep ad volume in check. The analysis also noted that commercials delivered via server-side ad insertion can result in inconsistent loudness because different ad providers use different encoding pipelines.

Whether the difference will be dramatic remains to be seen. But if you’ve ever found yourself grabbing the remote because an ad suddenly sounded twice as loud as the show you were watching, this is one quality-of-life upgrade you can get behind.