Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Balance Sheet) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 683,682	$ 554,886	$ 529,200	$ 558,783
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	829,704	835,977
Current portion of program rights, net	433,862	440,739
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	157,972	131,809
Total current assets	2,105,220	1,963,411
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	251,841	246,262
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	1,154,265	1,214,051
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	0	0
Deferred carriage fees, net	14,871	16,831
Intangible assets, net	569,527	578,907
Goodwill	797,793	798,037
Deferred tax asset, net	19,927	19,272
Operating lease right-of-use asset	174,563	0
Other assets	433,907	441,792
Total assets	5,521,914	5,278,563
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	107,392	107,066
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	249,950	264,918
Current portion of program rights obligations	321,914	343,589
Deferred revenue	51,261	55,424
Current portion of long-term debt	30,125	21,334
Current portion of lease obligations		5,090
Current portion of lease obligations	31,341
Total current liabilities	791,983	797,421
Program rights obligations	342,173	373,249
Long-term debt	3,080,800	3,088,221
Lease obligations		21,427
Lease obligations	224,684
Deferred tax liability, net	137,567	145,443
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	160,368	208,036
Total liabilities	4,737,575	4,633,797
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	299,802	299,558
Stockholders' equity:
AMC Networks stockholders' equity	455,390	316,680
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	29,147	28,528
Total stockholders' equity	484,537	345,208	261,111	163,945
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	5,521,914	5,278,563
Eliminations
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	0	0
Current portion of program rights, net	(201)	(218)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(69,140)	(57,219)
Total current assets	(69,341)	(57,437)
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	0	0
Investment in affiliates	(5,482,255)	(5,311,086)
Program rights, net	(1,437)	(1,613)
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	(218)	(190)
Deferred carriage fees, net	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Operating lease right-of-use asset	0
Other assets	0
Total assets	(5,553,251)	(5,370,326)
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	(70,850)	(59,050)
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of lease obligations		0
Current portion of lease obligations	0
Total current liabilities	(70,850)	(59,050)
Program rights obligations	0	0
Long-term debt	0	0
Lease obligations		0
Lease obligations	0
Deferred tax liability, net	0	0
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	(146)	(190)
Total liabilities	(70,996)	(59,240)
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Stockholders' equity:
AMC Networks stockholders' equity	(5,482,255)	(5,311,086)
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders' equity	(5,482,255)	(5,311,086)
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	(5,553,251)	(5,370,326)
Parent Company
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	827	121	184	320
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	19	16
Current portion of program rights, net	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	58	6,543
Total current assets	904	6,680
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	0	0
Investment in affiliates	3,844,267	3,656,003
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
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Operating lease right-of-use asset	101,521
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	3,946,692	3,662,683
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	79,873	35,189
Current portion of program rights obligations	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	28,125	18,750
Current portion of lease obligations		0
Current portion of lease obligations	13,505
Total current liabilities	121,503	53,939
Program rights obligations	0	0
Long-term debt	3,080,800	3,088,221
Lease obligations		0
Lease obligations	125,814
Deferred tax liability, net	131,723	140,474
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	31,463	63,369
Total liabilities	3,491,303	3,346,003
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Stockholders' equity:
AMC Networks stockholders' equity	455,389	316,680
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders' equity	455,389	316,680
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	3,946,692	3,662,683
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	477,816	368,151	354,419	391,248
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	589,936	600,121
Current portion of program rights, net	293,477	292,002
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	194,921	158,936
Total current assets	1,556,150	1,419,210
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	182,433	175,040
Investment in affiliates	1,637,988	1,655,083
Program rights, net	918,943	969,802
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	0	0
Deferred carriage fees, net	14,055	15,993
Intangible assets, net	158,947	161,417
Goodwill	64,950	65,282
Deferred tax asset, net	0	0
Operating lease right-of-use asset	20,085
Other assets	171,200	149,724
Total assets	4,724,751	4,611,551
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	38,969	34,630
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	116,858	173,836
Current portion of program rights obligations	243,013	259,414
Deferred revenue	28,632	34,608
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of lease obligations		2,941
Current portion of lease obligations	6,568
Total current liabilities	434,040	505,429
Program rights obligations	323,343	349,814
Long-term debt	0	0
Lease obligations		1,420
Lease obligations	21,833
Deferred tax liability, net	0	0
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	101,268	98,885
Total liabilities	880,484	955,548
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Stockholders' equity:
AMC Networks stockholders' equity	3,844,267	3,656,003
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders' equity	3,844,267	3,656,003
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	4,724,751	4,611,551
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	205,039	186,614	$ 174,597	$ 167,215
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts)	239,749	235,840
Current portion of program rights, net	140,586	148,955
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	32,133	23,549
Total current assets	617,507	594,958
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	69,408	71,222
Investment in affiliates	0	0
Program rights, net	236,759	245,862
Long-term intercompany notes receivable	218	190
Deferred carriage fees, net	816	838
Intangible assets, net	410,580	417,490
Goodwill	732,843	732,755
Deferred tax asset, net	19,927	19,272
Operating lease right-of-use asset	52,957
Other assets	262,707	292,068
Total assets	2,403,722	2,374,655
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	68,423	72,436
Accrued liabilities and intercompany payable	124,069	114,943
Current portion of program rights obligations	78,901	84,175
Deferred revenue	22,629	20,816
Current portion of long-term debt	2,000	2,584
Current portion of lease obligations		2,149
Current portion of lease obligations	11,268
Total current liabilities	307,290	297,103
Program rights obligations	18,830	23,435
Long-term debt	0	0
Lease obligations		20,007
Lease obligations	77,037
Deferred tax liability, net	5,844	4,969
Other liabilities and intercompany notes payable	27,783	45,972
Total liabilities	436,784	391,486
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	299,802	299,558
Stockholders' equity:
AMC Networks stockholders' equity	1,637,989	1,655,083
Non-redeemable noncontrolling interests	29,147	28,528
Total stockholders' equity	1,667,136	1,683,611
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 2,403,722	$ 2,374,655