Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Balance Sheet) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 307,555	$ 201,367	$ 296,622	$ 521,951
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	571,460	587,193
Amounts due from related parties, net	4,033	4,102
Current portion of program rights, net	477,218	437,302
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	83,531	74,294
Deferred tax asset, net	37,537	24,822
Total current assets	1,481,334	1,329,080
Property and equipment, net	145,217	133,844
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	996,206	959,941
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	0	0
Deferred carriage fees, net	53,199	46,737
Intangible assets, net	549,599	590,824
Goodwill	717,057	734,356
Other assets	227,199	181,805
Total assets	4,169,811	3,976,587
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	135,788	101,866
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	184,243	204,786
Current portion of program rights obligations	302,473	271,199
Deferred revenue	52,250	36,888
Promissory note payable	0	40,000
Current portion of long-term debt	129,500	74,000
Current portion of capital lease obligations	2,921	2,953
Total current liabilities	807,175	731,692
Program rights obligations	422,930	465,672
Long-term debt	2,576,446	2,685,566
Capital lease obligations	24,815	27,386
Deferred tax liability, net	127,455	128,066
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	94,019	85,503
Total liabilities	$ 4,052,840	$ 4,123,885
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 210,420	$ 204,611
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	(118,878)	(371,755)
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	(118,878)	(371,755)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	25,429	19,846
Total stockholders’ deficiency	(93,449)	(351,909)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	4,169,811	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	(122,182)	(52,050)
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Total current assets	(122,182)	(52,050)
Property and equipment, net	0	0
Investment in affiliates	(2,842,993)	(3,088,984)
Program rights, net	0	0
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	(1,016,907)	(933,667)
Deferred carriage fees, net	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(3,982,082)	(4,074,701)
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	(122,182)	(52,050)
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Promissory note payable		0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	(122,182)	(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	(1,016,907)	(933,667)
Total liabilities	$ (1,139,089)	(985,717)
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 0	0
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	(2,842,993)	(3,088,984)
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	(2,842,993)	(3,088,984)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ deficiency	(2,842,993)	(3,088,984)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	(3,982,082)	(4,074,701)
Parent Company [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	485	1,581	4,698	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	35,425	44,011
Deferred tax asset, net	35,834	22,221
Total current assets	71,744	67,813
Property and equipment, net	0	0
Investment in affiliates	2,064,388	1,851,065
Program rights, net	0	0
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	617,567	624,100
Deferred carriage fees, net	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other assets	21,898	26,760
Total assets	2,775,597	2,569,738
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	6	15
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	43,192	39,566
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Promissory note payable		0
Current portion of long-term debt	129,500	74,000
Current portion of capital lease obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	172,698	113,581
Program rights obligations	0	0
Long-term debt	2,576,446	2,685,566
Capital lease obligations	0	0
Deferred tax liability, net	114,085	113,742
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	31,246	28,604
Total liabilities	$ 2,894,475	2,941,493
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 0	0
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	(118,878)	(371,755)
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	(118,878)	(371,755)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ deficiency	(118,878)	(371,755)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	2,775,597	2,569,738
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	155,366	83,676	217,434	519,392
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	422,052	443,720
Amounts due from related parties, net	3,786	3,846
Current portion of program rights, net	348,128	350,750
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	152,822	75,631
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Total current assets	1,082,154	957,623
Property and equipment, net	86,026	80,064
Investment in affiliates	778,605	1,237,919
Program rights, net	890,235	878,294
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	400,204	111,263
Deferred carriage fees, net	50,404	44,644
Intangible assets, net	192,477	199,785
Goodwill	72,331	74,224
Other assets	97,428	63,700
Total assets	3,649,864	3,647,516
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	97,973	62,573
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	134,803	155,569
Current portion of program rights obligations	222,708	212,310
Deferred revenue	42,918	30,184
Promissory note payable		0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	2,346	2,226
Total current liabilities	500,748	462,862
Program rights obligations	403,332	453,343
Long-term debt	0	0
Capital lease obligations	9,918	11,884
Deferred tax liability, net	0	0
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	671,478	868,362
Total liabilities	$ 1,585,476	1,796,451
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 0	0
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	2,064,388	1,851,065
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	2,064,388	1,851,065
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ deficiency	2,064,388	1,851,065
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	3,649,864	3,647,516
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	151,704	116,110	$ 74,490	$ 1,617
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	149,408	143,473
Amounts due from related parties, net	247	256
Current portion of program rights, net	129,090	86,552
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	17,466	6,702
Deferred tax asset, net	1,703	2,601
Total current assets	449,618	355,694
Property and equipment, net	59,191	53,780
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	105,971	81,647
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	(864)	198,304
Deferred carriage fees, net	2,795	2,093
Intangible assets, net	357,122	391,039
Goodwill	644,726	660,132
Other assets	107,873	91,345
Total assets	1,726,432	1,834,034
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	37,809	39,278
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	128,430	61,701
Current portion of program rights obligations	79,765	58,889
Deferred revenue	9,332	6,704
Promissory note payable		40,000
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	575	727
Total current liabilities	255,911	207,299
Program rights obligations	19,598	12,329
Long-term debt	0	0
Capital lease obligations	14,897	15,502
Deferred tax liability, net	13,370	14,324
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	408,202	122,204
Total liabilities	$ 711,978	371,658
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 210,420	204,611
Stockholders' deficiency:
AMC Networks stockholders’ (deficiency) equity	778,605	1,237,919
Total AMC Networks stockholders’ deficiency	778,605	1,237,919
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	25,429	19,846
Total stockholders’ deficiency	804,034	1,257,765
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficiency	$ 1,726,432	$ 1,834,034