Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Balance Sheet) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 194,307	$ 201,367	$ 159,454	$ 521,951
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	667,771	587,193
Amounts due from related parties, net	3,691	4,102
Current portion of program rights, net	428,529	437,302
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	70,569	74,294
Deferred tax asset, net	17,354	24,822
Total current assets	1,382,221	1,329,080
Property and equipment, net	134,852	133,844
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	997,911	959,941
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	0	0
Deferred carriage fees, net	59,458	46,737
Intangible assets, net	565,425	590,824
Goodwill	704,955	734,356
Other assets	204,602	181,805
Total assets	4,049,424	3,976,587
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	129,066	101,866
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	184,165	204,786
Current portion of program rights obligations	284,866	271,199
Deferred revenue	51,307	36,888
Promissory note payable	40,000	40,000
Current portion of long-term debt	92,500	74,000
Current portion of capital lease obligations	2,781	2,953
Total current liabilities	784,685	731,692
Program rights obligations	476,420	465,672
Long-term debt	2,649,182	2,685,566
Capital lease obligations	26,490	27,386
Deferred tax liability, net	129,391	128,066
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	72,615	85,503
Total liabilities	4,138,783	4,123,885
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	206,089	204,611
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	(314,998)	(371,755)
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	(314,998)	(371,755)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	19,550	19,846
Total stockholders’ deficiency	(295,448)	(351,909)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	4,049,424	3,976,587
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	0	0
Amounts due from related parties, net	0	0
Current portion of program rights, net	0	0
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	(56,821)	(52,050)
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Total current assets	(56,821)	(52,050)
Property and equipment, net	0	0
Investment in affiliates	(3,184,593)	(3,088,984)
Program rights, net	0	0
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	(702,971)	(735,363)
Deferred carriage fees, net	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(3,944,385)	(3,876,397)
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	(56,821)	(52,050)
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Promissory note payable	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	(56,821)	(52,050)
Program rights obligations	0	0
Long-term debt	0	0
Capital lease obligations	0	0
Deferred tax liability, net	0	0
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	(702,971)	(735,363)
Total liabilities	(759,792)	(787,413)
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	(3,184,593)	(3,088,984)
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	(3,184,593)	(3,088,984)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ deficiency	(3,184,593)	(3,088,984)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	(3,944,385)	(3,876,397)
Parent Company [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	871	1,581	835	942
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	0	0
Amounts due from related parties, net	0	0
Current portion of program rights, net	0	0
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	11,269	44,011
Deferred tax asset, net	14,840	22,221
Total current assets	26,980	67,813
Property and equipment, net	0	0
Investment in affiliates	1,993,179	1,851,065
Program rights, net	0	0
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	592,408	624,100
Deferred carriage fees, net	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other assets	25,145	26,760
Total assets	2,637,712	2,569,738
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	6	15
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	66,752	39,566
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Promissory note payable	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	92,500	74,000
Current portion of capital lease obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	159,258	113,581
Program rights obligations	0	0
Long-term debt	2,649,182	2,685,566
Capital lease obligations	0	0
Deferred tax liability, net	118,271	113,742
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	25,999	28,604
Total liabilities	2,952,710	2,941,493
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	(314,998)	(371,755)
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	(314,998)	(371,755)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ deficiency	(314,998)	(371,755)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	2,637,712	2,569,738
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	94,868	83,676	117,357	519,392
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	526,436	443,720
Amounts due from related parties, net	3,433	3,846
Current portion of program rights, net	333,065	350,750
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	98,818	75,631
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Total current assets	1,056,620	957,623
Property and equipment, net	82,937	80,064
Investment in affiliates	1,191,414	1,237,919
Program rights, net	900,817	878,294
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	110,563	111,263
Deferred carriage fees, net	56,336	44,644
Intangible assets, net	197,349	199,785
Goodwill	73,593	74,224
Other assets	68,511	63,700
Total assets	3,738,140	3,647,516
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	90,914	62,573
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	88,734	155,569
Current portion of program rights obligations	213,698	212,310
Deferred revenue	43,325	30,184
Promissory note payable	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	2,252	2,226
Total current liabilities	438,923	462,862
Program rights obligations	464,378	453,343
Long-term debt	0	0
Capital lease obligations	11,184	11,884
Deferred tax liability, net	0	0
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	830,476	868,362
Total liabilities	1,744,961	1,796,451
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	1,993,179	1,851,065
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	1,993,179	1,851,065
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ deficiency	1,993,179	1,851,065
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	3,738,140	3,647,516
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	98,568	116,110	41,262	1,617
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	141,335	143,473
Amounts due from related parties, net	258	256
Current portion of program rights, net	95,464	86,552
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	17,303	6,702
Deferred tax asset, net	2,514	2,601
Total current assets	355,442	355,694
Property and equipment, net	51,915	53,780
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	97,094	81,647
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	0	0
Deferred carriage fees, net	3,122	2,093
Intangible assets, net	368,076	391,039
Goodwill	631,362	660,132
Other assets	110,946	91,345
Total assets	1,617,957	1,635,730
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	38,146	39,278
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	85,500	61,701
Current portion of program rights obligations	71,168	58,889
Deferred revenue	7,982	6,704
Promissory note payable	40,000	40,000
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	529	727
Total current liabilities	243,325	207,299
Program rights obligations	12,042	12,329
Long-term debt	0	0
Capital lease obligations	15,306	15,502
Deferred tax liability, net	11,120	14,324
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	(80,889)	(76,100)
Total liabilities	200,904	173,354
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	206,089	204,611
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	1,191,414	1,237,919
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	1,191,414	1,237,919
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	19,550	19,846
Total stockholders’ deficiency	1,210,964	1,257,765
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	$ 1,617,957	$ 1,635,730