Bill Cosby has launched an iPhone app today (get it here). Pooling audio and video clips, along with images and other features, the Bill Cosby mobile app is available on the iPhone and iPad. An Android app is expected in the near future. Moving from a basic quotes app to a media-centric distribution channel, Bill Cosby is joining the ranks of celebrities (think Oprah) seeking wider and younger audiences through digital means.

Like all 80s babies, I grew up watching The Cosby Show. Bill Cosby was an integral part of my culture, and has a great opportunity to keep the legacy going with mobile apps. Offering content on-demand, you can view never-before-seen footage, stand up comedy stints and commentary from Bill himself. The free mobile app, launched in partnership with UstreamTV, also updates you with Cosby’s new stuff, from books to appearances.

Mobile apps are gaining popularity amongst celebrities, particularly as the need to remain relevant with fans also means creating a widespread social media presence. The result is a fragmented approach to connecting with fans, distributing content and monetizing those multiple outreach posts. A mobile app helps to address many of these problems, with a centralized point for aggregated content to be promoted and better controlled for revenue-generating purposes.

The business behind Cosby’s app gets a little clearer when you look at the upcoming features, which deal primarily with ring tones and other forms of premium content. Mobile apps have created a more direct route to access consumers, especially when it comes to content such as this. Combined with sharing features, alarms and notifications, Cosby’s mobile app is becoming an important way in which the celebrity can deliver content.

While there’s no telling how deeply integrated Cosby’s app will become with social media outlets or even other apps, these are two important aspects for any personal mobile app owner to consider. The number of apps that will launch for celebrities, personalities and other specialized content streams will greatly increase over the next two years, leaving room for recommendation and aggregation services to help make sense of it all. These are exciting times for celebrities and businesses indeed.