diff --git a/python/pyspark/broadcast.py b/python/pyspark/broadcast.py
index e3e6d0171e971..2760434beb309 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/broadcast.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/broadcast.py
@@ -60,22 +60,43 @@ def __init__(self, sc=None, value=None, pickle_registry=None, path=None):
         instead.
         """
         if sc is not None:
-            tempFile = NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False, dir=sc._temp_dir)
-            cPickle.dump(value, tempFile, 2)
-            tempFile.close()
-            self._path = tempFile.name
+            f = NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False, dir=sc._temp_dir)
+            self._path = self.dump(value, f)
             self._jbroadcast = sc._jvm.PythonRDD.readBroadcastFromFile(sc._jsc, self._path)
             self._pickle_registry = pickle_registry
         else:
             self._jbroadcast = None
             self._path = path
 
+    def dump(self, value, f):
+        if isinstance(value, basestring):
+            if isinstance(value, unicode):
+                f.write('U')
+                value = value.encode('utf8')
+            else:
+                f.write('S')
+            f.write(value)
+        else:
+            f.write('P')
+            cPickle.dump(value, f, 2)
+        f.close()
+        return f.name
+
+    def load(self, path):
+        with open(path, 'rb', 1 << 20) as f:
+            flag = f.read(1)
+            data = f.read()
+            if flag == 'P':
+                return cPickle.loads(data)
+            else:
+                return data.decode('utf8') if flag == 'U' else data
+
     @property
     def value(self):
         """ Return the broadcasted value
         """
         if not hasattr(self, "_value") and self._path is not None:
-            self._value = cPickle.loads(open(self._path, 'rb', 4 << 20).read())
+            self._value = self.load(self._path)
         return self._value
 
     def unpersist(self, blocking=False):