The Daily Show Headlines app offers a nice alternative to viewing the show “live” on Comedy Central, but its argument for being an essential piece of the viewing puzzle isn’t quite as sound. The app is mostly a collection of clips from the show rather than supplemental material that would be interesting to people who are already fans. The app’s home screen offers the past two weeks of The Daily Show clips for users to scroll through as
well as a “Most Popular” tab that spans about a month in time. Headlines’ next section, “Quotes,” pulls memorable quotes from various segments of the show over the past several years and lets users share them on Facebook, Twitter or via email. Both sections only replay what was already seen on the air.
The “Guests” tab on the app fares better by providing background information and links about the upcoming guests on the program. This supplemental content actually enriches the viewer’s experience rather than simply attempting to repeat it. Headlines would do well to have a lot more content like this and less replay content, especially given that episodes usually re-run a few times a day on Comedy Central as is.
The most promising section is also its smallest. “Extras,” is essentially what the app should be. The clips in the extras bin are fun, short videos where Jon Stewart or his correspondents explain various news topics. They’re each a few minutes in length which makes them perfect to watch and share with friends, and that they’re actually original and not just show retreads which makes them even better.
If The Daily Show Headlines was more like the “Extras” section and less a repository of show content, it’d be fantastic viewing for fans of the show. As it stands, it’s probably best used by someone who doesn’t have the time to watch the episodes as they air.
Find great games for iOS here
