diff --git a/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstdepay.c b/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstdepay.c
index a34088025f..621aa4758c 100644
--- a/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstdepay.c
+++ b/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstdepay.c
@@ -279,7 +279,12 @@ read_event (GstRtpGSTDepay * rtpgstdepay, guint type,
   if (!read_length (rtpgstdepay, map.data, map.size, &length, &offset))
     goto too_small;
 
-  if (length == 0 || map.data[offset + length - 1] != ';')
+  if (length == 0)
+    goto invalid_buffer;
+  if (map.data[offset + length - 1] != '\0')
+    goto invalid_buffer;
+  /* backward compat, old payloader did not put 0-byte at the end */
+  if (map.data[offset + length - 1] != ';')
     goto invalid_buffer;
 
   GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (rtpgstdepay, "parsing event %s", &map.data[offset]);
diff --git a/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstpay.c b/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstpay.c
index c0a9d94d9f..08794d1c14 100644
--- a/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstpay.c
+++ b/gst/rtp/gstrtpgstpay.c
@@ -483,6 +483,8 @@ gst_rtp_gst_pay_send_event (GstRtpGSTPay * rtpgstpay, guint etype,
 
   estr = gst_structure_to_string (s);
   elen = strlen (estr);
+  /* for 0 byte */
+  elen++;
   outbuf = make_data_buffer (rtpgstpay, estr, elen);
   GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (rtpgstpay, "sending event=%s", estr);
   g_free (estr);