Description of Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of AMC Networks and its subsidiaries in which a controlling voting interest is maintained or variable interest entities ("VIEs") in which the Company has determined it is the primary beneficiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Investments in business entities in which the Company lacks control but does have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Unaudited Interim Financial Statements These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019 contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K ("2019 Form 10-K") filed with the SEC. The condensed consolidated financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, such financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that might be expected for future interim periods or for the full year ending December 31, 2020. Risks and Uncertainties In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") a pandemic, and the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency. The rapid spread of the pandemic and the continuously evolving responses to combat it have had a negative impact on the global economy. The impact of COVID-19 and measures to prevent its spread are affecting our businesses in a number of ways. Beginning in mid-March, the Company has experienced adverse advertising sales impacts, suspended content production, which has led to delays in the creation and availability of substantially all of its programming, and the temporary closure of its comedy venues. In the third quarter of 2020, the Company commenced production activities, however substantially all Company employees continue to work remotely, and the Company continues to restrict business travel. If significant portions of our workforce, including key personnel, are unable to work effectively because of illness, government actions or other restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on our businesses could be exacerbated. The Company has evaluated and continues to evaluate the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its consolidated financial statements, including the impairment of goodwill (see Note 7) and indefinite-lived intangible assets and the fair value and collectability of receivables. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material impact on the Company's operations since mid-March 2020. The Company cannot reasonably predict the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the extent of any adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, which will depend on, among other things, the duration and spread of the pandemic, the impact of governmental regulations that have been, and may continue to be, imposed in response to the pandemic, the effectiveness of actions taken to contain or mitigate the outbreak, the availability, safety and efficacy of a vaccine, and global economic conditions. The Company does not expect the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic impact to affect its liquidity position or its ongoing ability to meet the covenants in its debt instruments.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements; and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates and judgments inherent in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements include the useful lives and methodologies used to amortize and assess recoverability of program rights, the estimated useful lives of intangible assets and the valuation and recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Standards	Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which changed the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments, including trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities and loans, and requires entities to use a new forward-looking "expected loss" model that would generally result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. The Company adopted the standard using the modified retrospective approach and recorded a decrease to opening retained earnings of $2.0 million, after taxes, for the cumulative-effect of the adoption. Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820). The standard changed the disclosure requirements related to transfers between Level I and II assets, as well as several aspects surrounding the valuation process and unrealized gains and losses related to Level III assets. The adoption of the standard did not have any effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2018-15, Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract. The standard amended prior guidance to align the accounting for costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Capitalized implementation costs must be expensed over the term of the hosting arrangement and presented in the same line item in the income statement as the fees associated with the hosting element (service) of the arrangement. The adoption of the standard did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2019-02, Improvements to Accounting for Costs of Films and License Agreements for Program Materials. The standard aligns the accounting for production costs of episodic television series with the accounting for production costs of films. In addition, the standard modifies certain aspects of the capitalization, impairment, presentation and disclosure requirements in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 926-20 and the impairment, presentation and disclosure requirements in ASC 920-350. The Company adopted the standard on a prospective basis. See Note 5 for further information. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 - Income Taxes. These changes are effective for the first quarter of 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption and does not expect it to have material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
Program Rights	Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2019-02, Improvements to Accounting for Costs of Films and License Agreements for Program Materials. The new guidance impacts the Company as follows: •Allows for the classification of acquired/licensed program rights as long-term assets. Previously, the Company reported a portion of these rights in current assets. Advances for live programming rights made prior to the live event and acquired/licensed program rights with license terms of less than one year continue to be reported in current assets. •Aligns the capitalization of production costs for episodic television programs with the capitalization of production costs for theatrical content. Previously, theatrical content production costs could be fully capitalized while episodic television production costs were generally limited to the amount of contracted revenues. •Introduces the concept of “predominant monetization strategy” to classify capitalized program rights for purposes of amortization and impairment as follows: ◦Individual program rights - programming value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are directly attributable to the specific film or television title (e.g., theatrical revenues, significant in-show advertising on the Company’s programming networks or specific content licensing revenues). ◦Group program rights - programming value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are not directly attributable to a specific film or television title (e.g., library of program rights for purpose of the Company’s programming networks or subscription revenue for AMC Networks SVOD). The determination of the predominant monetization strategy is made at commencement of production and is based on the means by which we derive third-party revenues from use of the programming. The classification of program rights as individual or group only changes if there is a significant change to the title’s monetization strategy relative to its initial assessment. Rights to programming, including feature films and episodic series, acquired under license agreements are stated at the lower of unamortized cost or fair value. Such licensed rights along with the related obligations are recorded at the contract value when a license agreement is executed, unless there is uncertainty with respect to either cost, acceptability or availability. If such uncertainty exists, those rights and obligations are recorded at the earlier of when the uncertainty is resolved or the license period begins. Costs are amortized to technical and operating expense on a straight-line or accelerated basis, based on the expected exploitation strategy of the rights, over a period not to exceed the respective license periods. Owned original programming costs, including estimated participation and residual costs, qualifying for capitalization as program rights are amortized to technical and operating expense over their estimated useful lives, commencing upon the first airing, based on attributable revenue for airings to date as a percentage of total projected attributable revenue, or ultimate revenue (individual-film-forecast-computation method). Projected attributable revenue is based on previously generated revenues for similar content in established markets, primarily consisting of distribution and advertising revenues, and projected program usage. Projected program usage is based on the Company's current expectation of future exhibitions taking into account historical usage of similar content. Projected attributable revenue can change based upon programming market acceptance, levels of distribution and advertising revenue and decisions regarding planned program usage. These calculations require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment regarding revenue and planned usage. Accordingly, the Company periodically reviews revenue estimates and planned usage and revises its assumptions if necessary, which could impact the timing of amortization expense or result in a write-down to fair value. Any capitalized development costs for programs that the Company determines will not be produced are written off.The Company periodically reviews the programming usefulness of its licensed and owned original program rights based on several factors, including expected future revenue generation from airings on the Company's networks and other exploitation opportunities, ratings, type and quality of program material, standards and practices, and fitness for exhibition through various forms of distribution. If it is determined that film or other program rights have limited, or no, future programming usefulness, the useful life is updated, which generally results in a write-off of the unamortized cost to technical and operating expense in the consolidated statements of income.

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of AMC Networks and its subsidiaries in which a controlling voting interest is maintained or variable interest entities ("VIEs") in which the Company has determined it is the primary beneficiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Investments in business entities in which the Company lacks control but does have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies are accounted for using the equity method of accounting.

Unaudited Interim Financial Statements

These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019 contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K ("2019 Form 10-K") filed with the SEC. The condensed consolidated financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, such financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented.

The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that might be expected for future interim periods or for the full year ending December 31, 2020.

Risks and Uncertainties

In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") a pandemic, and the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency. The rapid spread of the pandemic and the continuously evolving responses to combat it have had a negative impact on the global economy.

The impact of COVID-19 and measures to prevent its spread are affecting our businesses in a number of ways. Beginning in mid-March, the Company has experienced adverse advertising sales impacts, suspended content production, which has led to delays in the creation and availability of substantially all of its programming, and the temporary closure of its comedy venues. In the third quarter of 2020, the Company commenced production activities, however substantially all Company employees continue to work remotely, and the Company continues to restrict business travel. If significant portions of our workforce, including key personnel, are unable to work effectively because of illness, government actions or other restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on our businesses could be exacerbated.

The Company has evaluated and continues to evaluate the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its consolidated financial statements, including the impairment of goodwill (see Note 7) and indefinite-lived intangible assets and the fair value and collectability of receivables. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material impact on the Company's operations since mid-March 2020. The Company cannot reasonably predict the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the extent of any adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, which will depend on, among other things, the duration and spread of the pandemic, the impact of governmental regulations that have been, and may

continue to be, imposed in response to the pandemic, the effectiveness of actions taken to contain or mitigate the outbreak, the availability, safety and efficacy of a vaccine, and global economic conditions. The Company does not expect the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic impact to affect its liquidity position or its ongoing ability to meet the covenants in its debt instruments.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements; and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates and judgments inherent in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements include the useful lives and methodologies used to amortize and assess recoverability of program rights, the estimated useful lives of intangible assets and the valuation and recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets.

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Standards

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which changed the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments, including trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities and loans, and requires entities to use a new forward-looking "expected loss" model that would generally result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. The Company adopted the standard using the modified retrospective approach and recorded a decrease to opening retained earnings of $2.0 million, after taxes, for the cumulative-effect of the adoption.

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820). The standard changed the disclosure requirements related to transfers between Level I and II assets, as well as several aspects surrounding the valuation process and unrealized gains and losses related to Level III assets. The adoption of the standard did not have any effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2018-15, Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract. The standard amended prior guidance to align the accounting for costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Capitalized implementation costs must be expensed over the term of the hosting arrangement and presented in the same line item in the income statement as the fees associated with the hosting element (service) of the arrangement. The adoption of the standard did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2019-02, Improvements to Accounting for Costs of Films and License Agreements for Program Materials. The standard aligns the accounting for production costs of episodic television series with the accounting for production costs of films. In addition, the standard modifies certain aspects of the capitalization, impairment, presentation and disclosure requirements in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 926-20 and the impairment, presentation and disclosure requirements in ASC 920-350. The Company adopted the standard on a prospective basis. See Note 5 for further information.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 - Income Taxes. These changes are effective for the first quarter of 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption and does not expect it to have material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Program Rights

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2019-02, Improvements to Accounting for Costs of Films and License Agreements for Program Materials. The new guidance impacts the Company as follows:

•Allows for the classification of acquired/licensed program rights as long-term assets. Previously, the Company reported a portion of these rights in current assets. Advances for live programming rights made prior to the live event and acquired/licensed program rights with license terms of less than one year continue to be reported in current assets.

•Aligns the capitalization of production costs for episodic television programs with the capitalization of production costs for theatrical content. Previously, theatrical content production costs could be fully capitalized while episodic television production costs were generally limited to the amount of contracted revenues.

•Introduces the concept of “predominant monetization strategy” to classify capitalized program rights for purposes of amortization and impairment as follows:

◦Individual program rights - programming value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are directly attributable to the specific film or television title (e.g., theatrical revenues, significant in-show advertising on the Company’s programming networks or specific content licensing revenues).

◦Group program rights - programming value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are not directly attributable to a specific film or television title (e.g., library of program rights for purpose of the Company’s programming networks or subscription revenue for AMC Networks SVOD).

The determination of the predominant monetization strategy is made at commencement of production and is based on the means by which we derive third-party revenues from use of the programming. The classification of program rights as individual or group only changes if there is a significant change to the title’s monetization strategy relative to its initial assessment.

Rights to programming, including feature films and episodic series, acquired under license agreements are stated at the lower of unamortized cost or fair value. Such licensed rights along with the related obligations are recorded at the contract value when a license agreement is executed, unless there is uncertainty with respect to either cost, acceptability or availability. If such uncertainty exists, those rights and obligations are recorded at the earlier of when the uncertainty is resolved or the license period begins. Costs are amortized to technical and operating expense on a straight-line or accelerated basis, based on the expected exploitation strategy of the rights, over a period not to exceed the respective license periods.

Owned original programming costs, including estimated participation and residual costs, qualifying for capitalization as program rights are amortized to technical and operating expense over their estimated useful lives, commencing upon the first airing, based on attributable revenue for airings to date as a percentage of total projected attributable revenue, or ultimate revenue (individual-film-forecast-computation method). Projected attributable revenue is based on previously generated revenues for similar content in established markets, primarily consisting of distribution and advertising revenues, and projected program usage. Projected program usage is based on the Company's current expectation of future exhibitions taking into

account historical usage of similar content. Projected attributable revenue can change based upon programming market acceptance, levels of distribution and advertising revenue and decisions regarding planned program usage. These calculations require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment regarding revenue and planned usage. Accordingly, the Company periodically reviews revenue estimates and planned usage and revises its assumptions if necessary, which could impact the timing of amortization expense or result in a write-down to fair value. Any capitalized development costs for programs that the Company determines will not be produced are written off.The Company periodically reviews the programming usefulness of its licensed and owned original program rights based on several factors, including expected future revenue generation from airings on the Company's networks and other exploitation opportunities, ratings, type and quality of program material, standards and practices, and fitness for exhibition through various forms of distribution. If it is determined that film or other program rights have limited, or no, future programming usefulness, the useful life is updated, which generally results in a write-off of the unamortized cost to technical and operating expense in the consolidated statements of income.