Property and Equipment - Pay TV Satellites (Details)	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
EchoStar XV
Property and Equipment
Depreciable life of assets	15 years
EchoStar XVI
Property and Equipment
Option to renew the lease for an additional period	5 years

Useful life of long lived, physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days. Examples include, but not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentUsefulLife
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration