Qantas and Cricket Australia in talks to stream live matches on flights

Qantas and Cricket Australia negotiate to stream matches live via in-flight Wi-Fi for domestic and international travellers.

Australia's Shaun Marsh, right, and Steve Smith run between wickets during the third day of their third test cricket match against Sri Lanka in Colombo this month.

Qantas is working through the final stages of negotiations with Cricket Australia to allow passengers on its domestic and international flights to stream live matches at 30,000 feet.

Qantas will trial in-flight Wi-Fi on its fleet of domestic Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft by the end of this year. A full commercial service will be available in 2017.

“A flight from Sydney to Perth should be enough time to catch an entire match of 20/20 which is fitting when you’re flying the Spirit of Australia,” said Qantas chief Alan Joyce.

“Live cricket is just one of the partnerships we are looking at. And it’s in addition to the streaming services you’ll be able to access just as you do on the ground.”

The airline is also looking at making Wi-Fi services available on its Boeing 717s, its F100s and turboprops and its international fleet.