CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023	Mar. 31, 2022
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	$ 62	$ 70
NET CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	(20)	(21)
Spectrum repack reimbursements	1	1
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	4
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash	0	(315)
Purchases of investments	(33)	(5)
Distributions from investments	8	70
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(44)	(266)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases	(9)	(7)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(53)	(68)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	(18)	(18)
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0	(1)
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	(190)	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	(4)	(3)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	0	0
Other, net	(5)	(5)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(279)	(102)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	(261)	(298)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	884	819
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	623	521
Reportable Legal Entities \| Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(26)	(5)
NET CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	0	0
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets		0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash		0
Purchases of investments	(2)	(2)
Distributions from investments	0	50
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(2)	48
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(53)	(68)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	(18)	(18)
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity		0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	105	100
Other, net	(5)	(5)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	29	9
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	1	52
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	47	2
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	48	54
Reportable Legal Entities \| Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(74)	(45)
NET CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	0	(1)
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets		0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash		0
Purchases of investments	0	(1)
Distributions from investments	0	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	0	(2)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases	(7)	(5)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity		0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(208)	151
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(215)	146
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	(289)	99
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	750	316
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	461	415
Reportable Legal Entities \| Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	83	327
NET CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	(19)	(18)
Spectrum repack reimbursements	1	1
Proceeds from sale of assets		4
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash		0
Purchases of investments	(21)	(1)
Distributions from investments	0	10
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(39)	(4)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases	(1)	(1)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity		0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(43)	(323)
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(44)	(324)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	0	(1)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	1	2
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	1	1
Reportable Legal Entities \| Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	77	(209)
NET CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	(1)	(2)
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets		0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash		(315)
Purchases of investments	(10)	(1)
Distributions from investments	8	10
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(3)	(308)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases	(1)	(1)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity		(1)
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	(190)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	(4)	(3)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	148	74
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(47)	69
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	27	(448)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	86	499
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	113	51
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	2	2
NET CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	0	0
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets		0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash		0
Purchases of investments	0	0
Distributions from investments	0	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	0	0
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity		0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(2)	(2)
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(2)	(2)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	$ 0	$ 0

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