diff --git a/drivers/media/dvb-core/dvb_frontend.c b/drivers/media/dvb-core/dvb_frontend.c
index 209186c5cd9b..06ea30a689d7 100644
--- a/drivers/media/dvb-core/dvb_frontend.c
+++ b/drivers/media/dvb-core/dvb_frontend.c
@@ -152,6 +152,9 @@ static void dvb_frontend_free(struct kref *ref)
 
 static void dvb_frontend_put(struct dvb_frontend *fe)
 {
+	/* call detach before dropping the reference count */
+	if (fe->ops.detach)
+		fe->ops.detach(fe);
 	/*
 	 * Check if the frontend was registered, as otherwise
 	 * kref was not initialized yet.
@@ -3040,7 +3043,6 @@ void dvb_frontend_detach(struct dvb_frontend *fe)
 	dvb_frontend_invoke_release(fe, fe->ops.release_sec);
 	dvb_frontend_invoke_release(fe, fe->ops.tuner_ops.release);
 	dvb_frontend_invoke_release(fe, fe->ops.analog_ops.release);
-	dvb_frontend_invoke_release(fe, fe->ops.detach);
 	dvb_frontend_put(fe);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(dvb_frontend_detach);
diff --git a/drivers/media/usb/dvb-usb/pctv452e.c b/drivers/media/usb/dvb-usb/pctv452e.c
index d6b36e4f33d2..441d878fc22c 100644
--- a/drivers/media/usb/dvb-usb/pctv452e.c
+++ b/drivers/media/usb/dvb-usb/pctv452e.c
@@ -909,14 +909,6 @@ static int pctv452e_frontend_attach(struct dvb_usb_adapter *a)
 						&a->dev->i2c_adap);
 	if (!a->fe_adap[0].fe)
 		return -ENODEV;
-
-	/*
-	 * dvb_frontend will call dvb_detach for both stb0899_detach
-	 * and stb0899_release but we only do dvb_attach(stb0899_attach).
-	 * Increment the module refcount instead.
-	 */
-	symbol_get(stb0899_attach);
-
 	if ((dvb_attach(lnbp22_attach, a->fe_adap[0].fe,
 					&a->dev->i2c_adap)) == NULL)
 		err("Cannot attach lnbp22\n");