Long-Term Debt and Finance Lease Obligations - Long term debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021	May 24, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Long-term debt
Finance lease obligations	$ 122,421		$ 160,609
Decrease in mortgages and other notes payable	$ 3,368
5% Senior Notes due 2023
Long-term debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.00%
5 1/8% Senior Notes due 2029
Long-term debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.125%	5.125%
Redemption price as a percentage of principal amount	100.00%
Percentage of principal amount at which notes may be required to be repurchased in event of change of control	101.00%
Aggregate principal amount		$ 1,500,000
5 1/8% Senior Notes due 2029 \| Redemption Prior to June 1, 2014 \| Maximum
Long-term debt
Percentage of principal amount redeemed	35.00%
D I S H D B S Corporation
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 10,023,565		10,523,565
Fair Value	10,609,105		11,139,175
Unamortized deferred financing costs and debt discounts, net	(19,150)		(12,684)
Finance lease obligations	122,421		160,609
Total long-term debt and finance lease obligations (including current portion)	$ 10,126,836		10,671,490
D I S H D B S Corporation \| 6 3/4% Senior Notes due 2021
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount			2,000,000
Fair Value			$ 2,047,260
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.75%		6.75%
D I S H D B S Corporation \| 5 7/8% Senior Notes due 2022
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 2,000,000		$ 2,000,000
Fair Value	$ 2,063,900		$ 2,095,820
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.875%		5.875%
D I S H D B S Corporation \| 5% Senior Notes due 2023
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 1,500,000		$ 1,500,000
Fair Value	$ 1,558,860		1,566,300
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.00%
D I S H D B S Corporation \| 5 7/8% Senior Notes due 2024
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 2,000,000		2,000,000
Fair Value	$ 2,157,200		$ 2,099,580
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.875%		5.875%
D I S H D B S Corporation \| 7 3/4% Senior Notes due 2026
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 2,000,000		$ 2,000,000
Fair Value	$ 2,264,720		$ 2,236,520
Interest rate (as a percent)	7.75%		7.75%
D I S H D B S Corporation \| 7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2028
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 1,000,000		$ 1,000,000
Fair Value	$ 1,067,980		$ 1,070,130
Interest rate (as a percent)	7.375%		7.375%
D I S H D B S Corporation \| 5 1/8% Senior Notes due 2029
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 1,500,000
Fair Value	$ 1,472,880
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.125%		5.125%
D I S H D B S Corporation \| Other notes payable
Long-term debt
Carrying Amount	$ 23,565		$ 23,565
Fair Value	$ 23,565		$ 23,565

Debt repurchase price percentage in the event of change of control.

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- Definition

Amount of short-term and long-term debt and lease obligation.

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Amount, before unamortized (discount) premium and debt issuance costs, of long-term debt. Includes, but is not limited to, notes payable, bonds payable, commercial loans, mortgage loans, convertible debt, subordinated debt and other types of debt.

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Face (par) amount of debt instrument at time of issuance.

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Contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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Percentage price of original principal amount of debt at which debt can be redeemed by the issuer.

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Percentage of principal amount of debt redeemed.

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Amount, after accumulated amortization, of debt discount (premium).

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Present value of lessee's discounted obligation for lease payments from finance lease.

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The fair value amount of long-term debt whether such amount is presented as a separate caption or as a parenthetical disclosure. Additionally, this element may be used in connection with the fair value disclosures required in the footnote disclosures to the financial statements. The element may be used in both the balance sheet and disclosure in the same submission.

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Amount of cash outflow for cost from early extinguishment and prepayment of debt. Includes, but is not limited to, third-party cost, premium paid, and other fee paid to lender directly for debt extinguishment or debt prepayment. Excludes accrued interest.

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