Aussies are losing yet another way to watch movies on their smartphones and tablets, with JB Hi-Fi NOW Video set to close its doors in April.

UltraViolet launched with great fanfare in 2013, introducing a new digital download service for those redemption codes which come with some new movies on disc. Instead of giving you the choice of a free iTunes or Google Play download, you instead had the option of redeeming the code with local retailers which offered their own streaming apps that supported UltraViolet; namely EzyFlix, JB Hi-Fi or Flixster.

The demise of EzyFlix and now JB Hi-Fi NOW Video leaves Flixster as the last man standing in Australia – although Flixster doesn't have much of a presence here beyond offering its apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

Thankfully you haven't lost any of the movies you redeemed through EzyFlix or JB Hi-Fi, but to watch them after April 13 you'll need to download Flixster and link it to your UltraViolet account.

UltraViolet was always doomed to fail in Australia because the movie studios took no responsibility for its success or failure – instead it all rested on the shoulders of retail partners. JB Hi-Fi and EzyFlix were expected to build their own streaming service and negotiate individual streaming deals with each movie studio.

These days most movie studios use UltraViolet except for Disney and its subsiduaries, which favour "Digital Copy Plus" that grants you an iTunes or Google Play download. Unfortunately Disney has scrapped Digital Copy Plus in Australia, claiming that it's no longer necessary because we have so many alternatives – which is laughable when you consider that Digital Copy Plus is still available in the US even though Americans really are spoiled for choice when it comes to digital content.

When you buy a new release movie on disc it's unlikely to be available via a subscription streaming service like Netflix. Hollywood expects you to buy a separate digital copy if you want to watch it on your mobile devices, and Australians don't even have the right to rip their movie discs thanks to our archaic copyright laws.

In the US, UltraViolet has flourished thanks to the backing of retail giants like Walmart's Vudu and Best Buy's CinemaNow, but Hollywood clearly doesn't care whether UltraViolet withers on the vine in smaller markets like Australia. Once again we're treated as second-class digital citizens, simply there to be fleeced.

Do you redeem the codes supplied with new movies on Blu-ray, or do you consider digital downloads – and perhaps Blu-ray discs – to be redundant?