Program Rights (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Entertainment [Abstract]
Program rights write-offs	$ 0	$ 3,300,000

The write-off of unamortized costs for program rights (including feature films and episodic series, acquired under license agreements or owned original program rights).

No definition available.

Name:	amcx_ProgramRightsWriteOffs
Namespace Prefix:	amcx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration