This paper examined and compared the extent to which native-English TV content was intelligible for Saudi and Sudanese university students. Measurements of understanding the content were achieved via two testing methods: (i) a speech perception test, and (ii) an online questionnaire. The results of the perception test showed that both groups of participants reported a quite good level of speech understanding. The results of the questionnaire were good in comparison to those of the perception test, albeit some practical problems were detected. The lack of practice and exposure to native English and the lack of listening practice were crucial factors that accounted for the sub-optimal speech intelligibility scores among the participants.