diff --git a/cmdutils.c b/cmdutils.c
index c1edeb907f..04130ffa32 100644
--- a/cmdutils.c
+++ b/cmdutils.c
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ void show_banner(const char *program_name, int program_birth_year)
 #endif
 }
 
-void show_version(const char *program_name) {
+void show_version(void) {
      /* TODO: add function interface to avutil and avformat avdevice*/
     printf("%s " FFMPEG_VERSION "\n", program_name);
     printf("libavutil   %d\n"
diff --git a/cmdutils.h b/cmdutils.h
index 585f9a127e..2e46ade7d0 100644
--- a/cmdutils.h
+++ b/cmdutils.h
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@
 
 #include <inttypes.h>
 
+/**
+ * program name, defined by the program for show_version().
+ */
+extern const char program_name[];
+
 /**
  * Parses a string and returns its corresponding value as a double.
  * Exits from the application if the string cannot be correctly
@@ -113,7 +118,7 @@ void show_banner(const char *program_name, int program_birth_year);
  * libraries.
  * @param program_name name of the program
  */
-void show_version(const char *program_name);
+void show_version(void);
 
 /**
  * Prints the license of the program to stdout. The license depends on
diff --git a/ffmpeg.c b/ffmpeg.c
index ae9a780265..b30ecbceb0 100644
--- a/ffmpeg.c
+++ b/ffmpeg.c
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
 
 #undef exit
 
-static const char program_name[] = "FFmpeg";
+const char program_name[] = "FFmpeg";
 static const int program_birth_year = 2000;
 
 /* select an input stream for an output stream */
@@ -3758,7 +3758,7 @@ static int opt_bsf(const char *opt, const char *arg)
 
 static void opt_show_version(void)
 {
-    show_version(program_name);
+    show_version();
     av_exit(0);
 }
 
diff --git a/ffplay.c b/ffplay.c
index d1842bdf58..02d0dc4632 100644
--- a/ffplay.c
+++ b/ffplay.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 
 #undef exit
 
-static const char program_name[] = "FFplay";
+const char program_name[] = "FFplay";
 static const int program_birth_year = 2003;
 
 //#define DEBUG_SYNC
@@ -2440,7 +2440,7 @@ static void opt_show_help(void)
 
 static void opt_show_version(void)
 {
-    show_version(program_name);
+    show_version();
     exit(0);
 }
 
diff --git a/ffserver.c b/ffserver.c
index 1cbc874720..08a73be969 100644
--- a/ffserver.c
+++ b/ffserver.c
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
 
 #undef exit
 
-static const char program_name[] = "FFserver";
+const char program_name[] = "FFserver";
 static const int program_birth_year = 2000;
 
 static const OptionDef options[];