diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcript_settings.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcript_settings.py
index b6bd83add2e332ffc9ff17e9248f5324b8484e54..f92722160b0273f193d81cb6e69d40ca4dcb1e70 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcript_settings.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcript_settings.py
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ def transcript_upload_handler(request):
                 content=transcript_file.read().decode('utf-8'),
                 input_format=Transcript.SRT,
                 output_format=Transcript.SJSON
-            )
+            ).encode()
             create_or_update_video_transcript(
                 video_id=edx_video_id,
                 language_code=language_code,
diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcripts_ajax.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcripts_ajax.py
index 378d03dd6a96900f89dd7c0f79831629f371529f..461fd9deb2309d73fa5f39a5dfb0d476fe323baa 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcripts_ajax.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/transcripts_ajax.py
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def save_video_transcript(edx_video_id, input_format, transcript_content, langua
             content=transcript_content,
             input_format=input_format,
             output_format=Transcript.SJSON
-        )
+        ).encode()
         create_or_update_video_transcript(
             video_id=edx_video_id,
             language_code=language_code,
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ def upload_transcripts(request):
                 content=transcript_file.read().decode('utf-8'),
                 input_format=Transcript.SRT,
                 output_format=Transcript.SJSON
-            )
+            ).encode()
             transcript_created = create_or_update_video_transcript(
                 video_id=edx_video_id,
                 language_code=u'en',
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_handlers.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_handlers.py
index fde2f0ed8d54087210146fed561d611506e1fe58..7f46e1f6103f4ea8f544d888f2dfb668a7da59fb 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_handlers.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_handlers.py
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ class VideoStudioViewHandlers(object):
                             content=transcript_file.read().decode('utf-8'),
                             input_format=Transcript.SRT,
                             output_format=Transcript.SJSON
-                        )
+                        ).encode()
                         create_or_update_video_transcript(
                             video_id=edx_video_id,
                             language_code=language_code,