Surely you must have seen this one coming.

In news originally reported yesterday by PaidContent.org, Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) is gearing up to kill its fledgling FLO TV business.

Really? You mean folks don't want to pay a premium for mobile television on small screens with an equally small collection of channels? Couch potatoes on the go don't want to lug around yet another clunky device?

Yes, we all saw it coming, but it's still a surprise to see the service axed so soon.

How many companies flop within a year of its original rollout? How many ventures flop during the same year in which they invest in a costly Super Bowl commercial?

To its credit, it's not as if Qualcomm was oblivious to the shortcomings of trying to market a dedicated device. It offered FLO TV as an upsell item for AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) smartphone customers. It also tried to smoke out a buyer this summer for its FLO TV money pit.

Short of DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) in the realm of high-end RV owners, premium mobile television has been a bust.

Remember the excitement when Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) rolled out Backseat TV three years ago? How many of the satellite radio giant's 19.5 million subscribers do you think are paying a premium for three grainy television channels? It can't be a whole lot, because Sirius XM doesn't really discuss the offering.

There just isn't a market for FLO, when Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) App Store is loaded with free ways to watch ABC and laptop owners can power up Hulu when they have connectivity.

FLO TV came too late to matter, impress, and survive.

Is there a future for premium mobile television? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.