Apple TV+ meets rivals on originals, but lack of back catalog is big omission

Apple Inc. launches its TV+ original video streaming service Friday, ending years of anticipation about the company’s next act in television. But it will lack what many consumers want: a giant library of their favorite movies and shows.

Over the past decade, the iPhone maker has explored building its own TV set, buying major content firms like Time Warner and partnering with cable companies on new TV set-top boxes. Instead, it landed on a combination of a video aggregation app, on-demand access to pay-TV channels like HBO and Starz and a $4.99 monthly subscription service of original movies and television shows.The subscription service will be available on millions of iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple TV boxes in 100 countries beginning Friday, just days ahead of Disney+ and months before comparable services from Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc. Apple TV+ is currently focused entirely on original content, but its lack of a library of older fan favorites puts the service behind its rivals.