diff --git a/linkcheck/checker/itmsservicesurl.py b/linkcheck/checker/itmsservicesurl.py
index e0372fd3..db760817 100644
--- a/linkcheck/checker/itmsservicesurl.py
+++ b/linkcheck/checker/itmsservicesurl.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ Handle itms-services URLs.
 from . import urlbase
 from .. import log, LOG_CHECK
 
+from builtins import str as str_text
 
 class ItmsServicesUrl(urlbase.UrlBase):
     """Apple iOS application download URLs."""
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ class ItmsServicesUrl(urlbase.UrlBase):
 
     def local_check(self):
         """Disable content checks."""
-        log.debug(LOG_CHECK, "Checking %s", unicode(self))
+        log.debug(LOG_CHECK, "Checking %s", str_text(self))
         pass
 
     def check_content(self):