Where to Binge TV Shows This Weekend; Periscope Walkout Escalates: Friday's First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here. Which Streaming Service Is Best for TV Binging This Holiday Weekend? Let's be real—you probably spent a good portion of this shortened week thinking about what TV shows you're going to watch this weekend. But whether you plan on revisiting old favorites or devouring new releases, it can be difficult to decide which streaming library to browse. To lend a hand, here are some key insights from streaming guide Reelgood about the quality of the TV show content on major platforms: If you like a lot of options: Consider going with Amazon Prime Video, which has the deepest library with 2,236 TV titles. However, the overall quality of its TV library might not hold up next to competitors. If you want buzzy originals: Look to Netflix, where the TV show library includes 674 originals—almost 35%. Its originals also rank higher quality-wise than originals on other platforms, based on IMDb user preferences. HBO Max has a higher percentage, with 44% originals, mostly HBO series, but its library isn't as deep as other services. If you want quality licensed TV series: Reelgood found that the overall quality of a TV streaming library seems to correlate with the number of licensed shows on the platform, and in that department Hulu stands out with 895 highly rated licensed titles. Prime Video also has 529 licensed shows with strong ratings. What else? Consider these other factors, including metrics about Disney+ and Apple TV+. Periscope’s Entire Staff Joins Walkout Over Parent Company’s Resistance to Black Lives Matter Yesterday, Nathan Young and several other employees at agency Periscope walked out after the parent company Quad prevented them from supporting Black Lives Matter on social media and released misleading diversity data. Young has initiated significant change in the industry along with with Bennett D. Bennett, first by publishing a letter backed by 600 Black ad professionals outlining 12 steps to address systemic racism, and then launching nonprofit 600 & Rising. On Thursday, the entire staff of Periscope walked out in solidarity with the movement and the other employees. The agency also posted a Black Lives Matter statement saying "will never again compromise our values as an agency to make our parent company feel comfortable." Effecting change: Quad evp Eric Ashworth, who had forbidden BLM messaging for the agency, told Adweek yesterday that the parent company is working to address all these issues and now appreciates what Black Lives Matter “stands for as a movement and as a phrase.” Premium | Don’t Expect a Marketing Blitz From Auto Brands on This Fourth of July You might think that the July Fourth weekend would see auto brands scrambling to make up for pandemic-induced losses, but Independence Day isn’t shaping up to be the sales extravaganza you might anticipate. While Jeep and Hyundai are working on special promotions, Toyota, Volkswagen, Subaru, Jaguar Land Rover and General Motors all confirmed to Adweek that they're either not planning new promotions at all, or keeping things fairly quiet. One reason is simply that the car-buying rebound already began. April was rough as budget-conscious consumers avoided big spends, but May saw a resurgence, and in research from ALG, 72% of consumers said that “their need for a vehicle has remained the same or increased due to the pandemic.” Another factor is inventory: Because the pandemic threw a wrench in production, there are fewer excess cars to sling. An opportunity to adapt: Automotive brands are taking the opportunity to massage their patriotic messaging for a Covid-rattled audience. Please consider supporting our journalism with an Adweek Pro Subscription and gain full access to all of Adweek's essential coverage and resources. Voice | TikTok Could Be the Next Recruitment Power Tool TikTok as a recruitment tool? That's what Debika Sihi, associate professor of business at Southwestern University and Adweek Academic Council member, argues in a new Voice piece. And it's not just socially distanced employee recruitment either: She points to the universities using the platform for student recruitment with campus tours and more, as well as the potential for nonprofits to creatively leverage the platform to bring in donors. Why TikTok's features can help: "This content provides authentic perspectives about a place, its people and their personalities," Sihi writes. Premium | Crocs Found a Way Back Onto People's Feet Amid the Pandemic [kickout id="1"] Love them or hate them, there's no denying that the most unconventional shoe of the 21st century is making a major comeback. Crocs has donated over 860,000 pairs of shoes to doctors, nurses and hospital employees through its "Free Pair for Healthcare" initiative. The brand's philanthropic efforts have turned heads on social media and accomplished a feat that critics thought impossible: Crocs are cool again. But how? Read about the history of the brand and its efforts to support healthcare workers. More of Today's Top News and Highlights DTC Eyeglasses Brands See Spike in Online Sales During Quarantine Mark Zagorski Named as DoubleVerify’s New CEO Fashion Marketplace Poshmark Innovates for Stay-at-Home Buyers and Sellers Today’s Consumers Are Shopping More Efficiently, Buying More AR Try-On Technology Is No Longer an Alternative in the Beauty Industry This Creative Brought a Magical World to Life Using Virtual Reality Ad of the Day: Ryan Reynolds’ Mint Mobile Pokes Fun at ‘Big Wireless’ for Sports Stadiums Ryan Reynolds is back with a new Mint Mobile ad making fun of big carriers' bigger prices. With its usual cheekiness, the spot explains why the budget carrier is so much cheaper than others: It doesn't go in for expensive stadium sponsorshops or retail stores, and the celebrities (i.e., Reynolds) pay the brand, not the other way around. (Plus, read more here: We talked with Reynolds, who hinted that an Aviation Gin and Mint collaboration could be on the horizon.) 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