diff --git a/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py b/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py
index eb465c425..c7100bb91 100755
--- a/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py
+++ b/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py
@@ -1696,29 +1696,30 @@ class YoutubeDL(object):
             ie = self.get_info_extractor(info_dict['extractor_key'])
             for sub_lang, sub_info in subtitles.items():
                 sub_format = sub_info['ext']
-                if sub_info.get('data') is not None:
-                    sub_data = sub_info['data']
+                sub_filename = subtitles_filename(filename, sub_lang, sub_format)
+                if self.params.get('nooverwrites', False) and os.path.exists(encodeFilename(sub_filename)):
+                    self.to_screen('[info] Video subtitle %s.%s is already present' % (sub_lang, sub_format))
                 else:
-                    try:
-                        sub_data = ie._download_webpage(
-                            sub_info['url'], info_dict['id'], note=False)
-                    except ExtractorError as err:
-                        self.report_warning('Unable to download subtitle for "%s": %s' %
-                                            (sub_lang, error_to_compat_str(err.cause)))
-                        continue
-                try:
-                    sub_filename = subtitles_filename(filename, sub_lang, sub_format)
-                    if self.params.get('nooverwrites', False) and os.path.exists(encodeFilename(sub_filename)):
-                        self.to_screen('[info] Video subtitle %s.%s is already_present' % (sub_lang, sub_format))
+                    self.to_screen('[info] Writing video subtitles to: ' + sub_filename)
+                    if sub_info.get('data') is not None:
+                        try:
+                            # Use newline='' to prevent conversion of newline characters
+                            # See https://github.com/rg3/youtube-dl/issues/10268
+                            with io.open(encodeFilename(sub_filename), 'w', encoding='utf-8', newline='') as subfile:
+                                subfile.write(sub_info['data'])
+                        except (OSError, IOError):
+                            self.report_error('Cannot write subtitles file ' + sub_filename)
+                            return
                     else:
-                        self.to_screen('[info] Writing video subtitles to: ' + sub_filename)
-                        # Use newline='' to prevent conversion of newline characters
-                        # See https://github.com/rg3/youtube-dl/issues/10268
-                        with io.open(encodeFilename(sub_filename), 'w', encoding='utf-8', newline='') as subfile:
-                            subfile.write(sub_data)
-                except (OSError, IOError):
-                    self.report_error('Cannot write subtitles file ' + sub_filename)
-                    return
+                        try:
+                            sub_data = ie._request_webpage(
+                                sub_info['url'], info_dict['id'], note=False).read()
+                            with io.open(encodeFilename(sub_filename), 'wb') as subfile:
+                                subfile.write(sub_data)
+                        except (ExtractorError, IOError, OSError, ValueError) as err:
+                            self.report_warning('Unable to download subtitle for "%s": %s' %
+                                                (sub_lang, error_to_compat_str(err)))
+                            continue
 
         if self.params.get('writeinfojson', False):
             infofn = replace_extension(filename, 'info.json', info_dict.get('ext'))