diff --git a/contrib/downloadboob/downloadboob.py b/contrib/downloadboob/downloadboob.py
index f8ec20989402c90d8666782f1cd9b6bd480895c2..1ce0452fdcdf244f96061eb44a20aabfa003f0c0 100755
--- a/contrib/downloadboob/downloadboob.py
+++ b/contrib/downloadboob/downloadboob.py
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ def check_exec(executable):
             else:
                 return 1
 
-        os.spawnlp(os.P_WAIT, args[0], *args)
+        subprocess.call(args)
         self.set_linkname(video)
 
     def read_url(self, url):
diff --git a/weboob/applications/radioob/radioob.py b/weboob/applications/radioob/radioob.py
index aa023cc343dce35140f9c43a2016b3c8c67f1dd4..4e96e7d21989e7372378f15e4052ec5e20d2a3b6 100644
--- a/weboob/applications/radioob/radioob.py
+++ b/weboob/applications/radioob/radioob.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 import os
 import re
 from shutil import which
+import subprocess
 
 import requests
 
@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@ def audio_to_file(_audio):
             else:
                 return 1
 
-        os.spawnlp(os.P_WAIT, args[0], *args)
+        subprocess.call(args)
 
     def complete_play(self, text, line, *ignored):
         args = line.split(' ')
diff --git a/weboob/applications/videoob/videoob.py b/weboob/applications/videoob/videoob.py
index 73d64fdac6947b333865fa9f378d445a335bbe32..b8800430fb8f24a71b9acc5c40ff60ce7d8e73e3 100644
--- a/weboob/applications/videoob/videoob.py
+++ b/weboob/applications/videoob/videoob.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 from io import BytesIO
 import os
 from shutil import which
+import subprocess
 
 import requests
 
@@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ def check_exec(executable):
                 return 1
 
         self.logger.debug(' '.join(args))
-        os.spawnlp(os.P_WAIT, args[0], *args)
+        subprocess.call(args)
 
     def read_url(self, url):
         r = requests.get(url, stream=True)
diff --git a/weboob/tools/application/media_player.py b/weboob/tools/application/media_player.py
index 45729003705a2a0530c188e352dd5126b2a0460a..3b39ab5fcbd0d7f7038c8d7a02d4a5c141dd5df0 100644
--- a/weboob/tools/application/media_player.py
+++ b/weboob/tools/application/media_player.py
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@
 from __future__ import print_function
 
 from contextlib import closing
-import os
 from subprocess import PIPE, Popen
+import subprocess
+import shlex
 from shutil import which
 
 import requests
@@ -102,13 +103,11 @@ def _play_default(self, media, player_name, args=None):
             self._play_proxy(media, player_name, args)
             return None
 
-        args = player_name.split(' ')
-
-        player_name = args[0]
+        args = shlex.split(player_name)
         args.append(media.url)
 
         print('Invoking "%s".' % (' '.join(args)))
-        os.spawnlp(os.P_WAIT, player_name, *args)
+        subprocess.call(args)
 
     def _play_proxy(self, media, player_name, args):
         """
@@ -175,11 +174,11 @@ def _play_rtmp(self, media, player_name, args):
 
         assert args is not None
 
-        player_name = player_name.split(' ')
-        args = args.split(' ')
+        player_name = shlex.split(player_name)
+        args = shlex.split(args)
 
         print(':: Streaming from %s' % media_url)
         print(':: to %s %s' % (player_name, args))
         print(':: %s' % rtmp)
-        p1 = Popen(rtmp.split(), stdout=PIPE)
+        p1 = Popen(shlex.split(rtmp), stdout=PIPE)
         Popen(player_name + args, stdin=p1.stdout, stderr=PIPE)