Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Balance Sheet) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 702,800	$ 316,321	$ 194,307	$ 201,367
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	685,144	674,611
Amounts due from related parties, net	2,981	4,062
Current portion of program rights, net	448,535	453,157
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	62,443	72,989
Deferred tax asset, net	24,059	16,198
Total current assets	1,925,962	1,537,338
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	173,969	163,860
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	1,046,302	1,027,394
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	0	0
Deferred carriage fees, net	47,061	50,069
Intangible assets, net	550,921	549,180
Goodwill	731,993	736,275
Other assets	202,021	200,799
Total assets	4,678,229	4,264,915
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	131,408	124,441
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	168,301	200,793
Current portion of program rights obligations	295,087	289,897
Deferred revenue	68,168	64,229
Current portion of long-term debt	166,500	148,000
Current portion of capital lease obligations	4,220	3,561
Total current liabilities	833,684	830,921
Program rights obligations	427,442	440,591
Long-term debt	2,801,690	2,519,808
Capital lease obligations	40,022	29,779
Deferred tax liability, net	156,487	137,233
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	92,625	103,530
Total liabilities	$ 4,351,950	$ 4,061,862
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 208,513	$ 211,691
Stockholders' equity (deficiency):
AMC Networks stockholders’ equity	85,904	(39,277)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	31,862	30,639
Total stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	117,766	(8,638)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	4,678,229	4,264,915
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	(89,558)	(55,947)
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Total current assets	(89,558)	(55,947)
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	0	0
Investment in affiliates	(3,838,942)	(3,643,007)
Program rights, net	0	0
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	(400,712)	(400,839)
Deferred carriage fees, net	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(4,329,212)	(4,099,793)
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	(89,558)	(55,947)
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	(89,558)	(55,947)
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	(400,712)	(400,839)
Total liabilities	$ (490,270)	(456,786)
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 0	0
Stockholders' equity (deficiency):
AMC Networks stockholders’ equity	(3,838,942)	(3,643,007)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	(3,838,942)	(3,643,007)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	(4,329,212)	(4,099,793)
Parent Company [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	279,468	434	871	1,581
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	89	4,158
Deferred tax asset, net	18,881	14,039
Total current assets	298,438	18,631
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	0	0
Investment in affiliates	2,986,397	2,797,938
Program rights, net	0	0
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	0	0
Deferred carriage fees, net	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other assets	172	1,449
Total assets	3,285,007	2,818,018
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	301	6
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	51,586	30,857
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	166,500	148,000
Current portion of capital lease obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	218,387	178,863
Program rights obligations	0	0
Long-term debt	2,801,690	2,519,808
Capital lease obligations	0	0
Deferred tax liability, net	144,968	126,415
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	34,058	32,209
Total liabilities	$ 3,199,103	2,857,295
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 0	0
Stockholders' equity (deficiency):
AMC Networks stockholders’ equity	85,904	(39,277)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	85,904	(39,277)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	3,285,007	2,818,018
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	257,259	148,260	94,868	83,676
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	519,912	538,657
Amounts due from related parties, net	2,743	3,818
Current portion of program rights, net	335,169	352,664
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	136,839	112,456
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Total current assets	1,251,922	1,155,855
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	89,929	93,007
Investment in affiliates	852,545	845,069
Program rights, net	907,952	889,756
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	400,109	400,163
Deferred carriage fees, net	44,592	47,437
Intangible assets, net	187,605	190,041
Goodwill	71,069	71,700
Other assets	101,426	100,620
Total assets	3,907,149	3,793,648
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	98,580	97,445
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	74,889	128,084
Current portion of program rights obligations	223,834	225,375
Deferred revenue	56,404	54,921
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	2,300	2,393
Total current liabilities	456,007	508,218
Program rights obligations	405,338	415,419
Long-term debt	0	0
Capital lease obligations	8,857	9,268
Deferred tax liability, net	0	0
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	50,550	62,805
Total liabilities	$ 920,752	995,710
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 0	0
Stockholders' equity (deficiency):
AMC Networks stockholders’ equity	2,986,397	2,797,938
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	2,986,397	2,797,938
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	3,907,149	3,793,648
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	166,073	167,627	$ 98,568	$ 116,110
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	165,232	135,954
Amounts due from related parties, net	238	244
Current portion of program rights, net	113,366	100,493
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and intercompany receivable	15,073	12,322
Deferred tax asset, net	5,178	2,159
Total current assets	465,160	418,799
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	84,040	70,853
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	138,350	137,638
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	603	676
Deferred carriage fees, net	2,469	2,632
Intangible assets, net	363,316	359,139
Goodwill	660,924	664,575
Other assets	100,423	98,730
Total assets	1,815,285	1,753,042
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	32,527	26,990
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	131,384	97,799
Current portion of program rights obligations	71,253	64,522
Deferred revenue	11,764	9,308
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of capital lease obligations	1,920	1,168
Total current liabilities	248,848	199,787
Program rights obligations	22,104	25,172
Long-term debt	0	0
Capital lease obligations	31,165	20,511
Deferred tax liability, net	11,519	10,818
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	408,729	409,355
Total liabilities	$ 722,365	665,643
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 208,513	211,691
Stockholders' equity (deficiency):
AMC Networks stockholders’ equity	852,545	845,069
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	31,862	30,639
Total stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	884,407	875,708
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficiency)	$ 1,815,285	$ 1,753,042