diff --git a/jellyfin_kodi/helper/utils.py b/jellyfin_kodi/helper/utils.py
index 3e2b58cd..c745cb32 100644
--- a/jellyfin_kodi/helper/utils.py
+++ b/jellyfin_kodi/helper/utils.py
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ def event(method, data=None, sender=None, hexlify=False):
     sender = sender or "plugin.video.jellyfin"
 
     if hexlify:
-        data = str(binascii.hexlify(json.dumps(data).encode()))
+        data = str(binascii.hexlify(json.dumps(data).encode()), "utf-8")
 
     data = '"[%s]"' % json.dumps(data).replace('"', '\\"')