diff --git a/youtube_dl/__init__.py b/youtube_dl/__init__.py
index bc6a6d180..b33a18a26 100644
--- a/youtube_dl/__init__.py
+++ b/youtube_dl/__init__.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ import sys
 import warnings
 import platform
 
+
 from .utils import *
 from .update import update_self
 from .version import __version__
@@ -611,7 +612,7 @@ def _real_main(argv=None):
                 sys.exc_clear()
             except:
                 pass
-        sys.stderr.write(u'[debug] Python version %s - %s' %(platform.python_version(), platform.platform()) + u'\n')
+        sys.stderr.write(u'[debug] Python version %s - %s' %(platform.python_version(), platform_name()) + u'\n')
         sys.stderr.write(u'[debug] Proxy map: ' + str(proxy_handler.proxies) + u'\n')
 
     ydl.add_default_info_extractors()
diff --git a/youtube_dl/utils.py b/youtube_dl/utils.py
index be788cf5a..64ab30910 100644
--- a/youtube_dl/utils.py
+++ b/youtube_dl/utils.py
@@ -1,19 +1,20 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
+import datetime
+import email.utils
 import errno
 import gzip
 import io
 import json
 import locale
 import os
+import platform
 import re
+import socket
 import sys
 import traceback
 import zlib
-import email.utils
-import socket
-import datetime
 
 try:
     import urllib.request as compat_urllib_request
@@ -732,3 +733,13 @@ class DateRange(object):
         return self.start <= date <= self.end
     def __str__(self):
         return '%s - %s' % ( self.start.isoformat(), self.end.isoformat())
+
+
+def platform_name():
+    """ Returns the platform name as a compat_str """
+    res = platform.platform()
+    if isinstance(res, bytes):
+        res = res.decode(preferredencoding())
+
+    assert isinstance(res, compat_str)
+    return res