WCIU vs Astound TV+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WCIU
This app provides access to Chicago's local television entertainment, featuring popular shows like Judge Judy and Seinfeld, original news programming, and live sports coverage. Stay connected with the station through its social media channels.
- Watch popular TV shows
- Access original news programming
- View local sports coverage
- Follow social media updates
- Stream on iPhone and iPad
Read full descriptionHide full description
The U is Chicago’s home for great television entertainment with TV favorites such as Judge Judy, Seinfeld, Judge Mathis, our original news magazine show, On The Block and local sports coverage like Game of the Week and Chicago Sky women’s basketball games. For more, follow us @wciu on Facebook and X, @wciutheu on Instagram.
Astound TV+
Stream live TV, cloud DVR recordings, and on-demand content from your home network or on the go. Access thousands of shows and movies, restart programs aired up to three days ago, and record multiple shows simultaneously. Integrated search helps you find content across all your sources.
- Watch live TV and recordings anywhere
- Restart shows from the past 3 days
- Cloud DVR with 125 hours storage
- Integrated search across content sources
- Simultaneous viewing on up to 5 devices
Read full descriptionHide full description
With Astound TV, customers can download the Astound TV+ app* to a supported device and watch anywhere on your home network, or outside of the home via WiFi, instantly. Choose from thousands of shows and movies available – live TV, streaming, cloud DVR recordings* or On Demand – all together in one place. Miss a show or want to finish that hilarious episode? Restart a show that aired up to 3 days ago from the beginning without having to record it. Or with cloud DVR, you can record as many shows as you want at the same time. *Astound TV+ app only available to customers who have at least one Astound TV set-top box (IPTV) rental. Access to cloud DVR only available for residential customers. Subscription to video service from Astound Broadband is required. Top Features: • Need to take your kids to soccer and don’t want to miss a show? Access your channel lineup, from anywhere. Watch live TV & recordings on your supported device at home or on the go. • Start Over & Catch Up— Go back in time & start a show that aired up to 3 days ago. • Cloud DVR— Record as many shows as you want at once with 125 hours of storage included. Start the show on one device and finish on another. • Forgot to schedule a recording? No sweat. Click “record” in the Astound TV+ app on your mobile device, while on the go. • Integrated Search— Search across live TV, On Demand, streaming apps, and your recorded shows so you can find exactly what you want to watch, when you want to watch it. • Have multiple devices? Watch content on up to 5 devices at the same time and don’t miss a beat with your favorite show. You can register up to 12 devices. Get Started: 1. The Astound TV+ app is available to customers with Astound TV. Features and availability may vary depending on your TV service subscription and equipment (Astound TV set-top box (IPTV) rental required). 2. Subscription to Internet service, plus compatible Astound TV set-top box (IPTV) rental, is required to access the Astound TV+ app. 3. Create a username and password. • RCN – https://my.rcn.com • Grande – https://account.mygrande.com • Wave – https://my.wavebroadband.com/login 4. Download the app to your preferred device and login with your account username and password. 5. Start watching! Requires compatible device, internet service, at least one Astound TV set-top box (IPTV) rental and TV subscription for in-home use. Content restrictions may apply. Maximum combined 5 simultaneous Live TV and/or DVR streams per account. Astound TV customers visit www.astound.com for a complete list of compatible devices, support and more information. Start over feature only available up to 3 days. The ability to “start over” or “catch up” may vary by network, is dictated by the content provider and is subject to change at any time without notice. Fast forwarding may be disabled on some shows and is controlled by the content provider. Consider setting a OnePass to record a series to allow for fast forwarding in the future. Other restrictions may apply.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: WCIU at 3.8 against Astound TV+'s 2.6. WCIU also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 13%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). Astound TV+'s advantage is ratings volume (78 vs 5). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WCIU holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Astound TV+ has 78 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of WCIU's written reviews are positive against 13% of Astound TV+'s.
WCIU ships an update every 17 months, Astound TV+ every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WCIU | Astound TV+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (5 ratings) — better | 2.6 (78 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 13.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 78 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | Every 12 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 343 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Weigel Broadcasting Co. | RCN Telecom Services, LLC |
Customer experience
WCIU
Astound TV+
Bugs and requests
WCIU
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Astound TV+
Reported bugs
12 issues- Stopped signing in and working on iPad
- App never logs you in on older devices
- Error signing into 5th generation iPad
- App sits on loading screen forever
- Cannot stream when connected to TV via HDMI
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- App disconnects frequently
- Cannot log out on Apple TV/Firesticks (Error C636)
- App no longer works with recent iOS firmware
- App doesn't show recorded programs
- Cannot connect to DVR after update
- Channels keep breaking up and freezing
- App doesn't work for former WOW customers
Requested features
15 requests- Picture-in-picture option
- Casting ability
- Stream on laptop/PC
- Remote function
- Download option for offline viewing
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Auto-commercial skip
- Quick mode functionality
- Turn off autoplay videos
- Easier channel lineup view
- Support for older devices
- Pop out picture support
- Casting options
- Picture in Picture support
- Streaming on laptop
- Keychain/FaceID support
In-app purchases
WCIU
No in-app purchases
Astound TV+
No in-app purchases









