SB 96: Streaming services: commercial advertisements. - California

08/30/26 - Enrolled → SB96 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes exist between these two versions. The differences are entirely in formatting and presentation: one is the traditional enrolled bill document with Senate/Assembly passage lines and page numbers, while the other is a web-based rendering of the identical bill text with navigation elements (search bars, links, status panels). The actual legislative provisions - definitions, effective dates, and prohibitions - are word-for-word the same in both versions.

TECHNICAL

The document changed from a formal enrolled bill format (with passage lines, Governor receipt block, page numbers, and signature lines) to a web-based presentation with navigation menus, search functionality, status panels, and version history links. No legislative language was altered.

06/26/26 - Amended Assembly → 08/30/26 - Enrolled · 1 edit · Aug 30, 2026

MINOR

The enrolled version of SB 96 removes the earlier July 1, 2026 effective date from Section 22776, leaving only January 1, 2027 as the compliance deadline for music, podcast, and video streaming services to ensure commercial advertisements are not louder than the accompanying content. All other changes are formatting and procedural (removal of amendment headers, addition of passage dates and governor approval block).

TIMELINE

The effective date in Section 22776 was changed from 'On and after July 1, 2026, January 1, 2027' to 'On and after January 1, 2027,' removing the earlier July 2026 deadline and giving streaming services a single compliance date of January 1, 2027.

06/24/26 - Amended Assembly → 06/26/26 - Amended Assembly · 3 edits · Jun 26, 2026

MINOR

The June 26 amendment removes 'social media video service' as a defined term and excludes it from the list of services subject to the commercial advertisement loudness prohibition, narrowing the bill's scope. It also appears to push the effective date from July 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027, giving covered services additional time before compliance is required.

SCOPE

The definition of 'social media video service' (an internet website open to the public that allows user accounts, consists primarily of user-generated content, and presents user-generated video via a feed or search) was entirely removed from Section 22775.

'Social media video service' was removed from the list of services prohibited from transmitting commercial advertisements louder than accompanying content in Section 22776. Only music streaming, podcast streaming, and video streaming services remain covered.

TIMELINE

The effective date in Section 22776 appears to have been changed from July 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027, delaying when the loudness restriction takes effect for the remaining covered services.

01/05/26 - Amended Senate → 06/24/26 - Amended Assembly · 4 edits · Jun 24, 2026

MODERATE

The Assembly amendment removes the veterans' benefits provision entirely, narrowing the bill to focus solely on streaming service ad loudness rules. It also explicitly clarifies that 'video streaming service' includes user-generated video streaming services, and broadens the loudness restriction language by removing the word 'video' before 'content,' potentially covering non-video content as well.

SCOPE

The entire provision amending Section 1802 of the Military and Veterans Code (making it a misdemeanor to misuse funds solicited for veterans) was removed from the bill, eliminating the dual-purpose nature of the legislation.

The chapter heading was changed from 'Video Streaming Services' to 'Streaming Services,' reflecting the broader scope of services now covered by the chapter.

DEFINITION

A new definition subsection was added stating that 'video streaming service' includes a user-generated video streaming service, explicitly bringing platforms like YouTube-style services under the ad loudness rules.

REQUIREMENT

In Section 22776, the phrase 'the video content the advertisements accompany' was changed to 'the content the advertisements accompany,' removing the word 'video' and potentially broadening the loudness restriction to cover non-video content as well.

01/23/25 - Introduced → 01/05/26 - Amended Senate · 6 edits · Jan 5, 2026

MODERATE

SB 96 was dramatically expanded from a purely technical cleanup of a veterans' funds solicitation statute into a substantive bill that extends California's commercial advertisement loudness rules to social media video services, music streaming services, and podcast streaming services. The original version only fixed awkward wording in Section 1802 of the Military and Veterans Code. The amended version adds new definitions and broadens the scope of existing loudness regulations (Section 22776) to cover three additional categories of online services, effective July 1, 2026.

SCOPE

Expanded the advertisement loudness prohibition in Section 22776 of the Business and Professions Code to apply not only to video streaming services but also to social media video services, music streaming services, and podcast streaming services that serve California consumers.

Changed the heading of Chapter 27.3 of Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code to 'Video Streaming Services' to reflect the expanded scope.

DEFINITION

Added a definition of 'social media video service' in Section 22775 requiring the platform to be open to the public, allow user accounts, consist primarily of user-generated content (not preselected by the provider), and present user-generated video via a landing page, main feed, or search function.

Added a definition of 'video streaming service' in Section 22775 as an entity making video programming or video content available to consumers via internet protocol, with exclusions for broadcast stations, cable operators, multichannel video programming distributors, and entities that serve content without commercial advertisements.

TIMELINE

Set an effective date of July 1, 2026 for the expanded loudness requirements covering social media video, music streaming, and podcast streaming services.

TECHNICAL

Cleaned up prior amendment markup artifacts in Section 1802 of the Military and Veterans Code, changing 'Any A person' to 'A person' and 'such those funds' to 'those funds.'

Streaming services: commercial advertisements.

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