COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details 2) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012 Y sqm	Dec. 31, 2011
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	$ 418,759
Through 2012	190,585
Through 2013	104,990
Through 2014	58,775
Through 2015	31,685
Through 2016	32,724
Operating leases
Area of office space leased (in square meters)	9,365
Rental expense related to leases	4,432
Technical costs arising from maintenance, taxes and some supplementary municipal services	613
Non-Income Taxes
Accruals for contingencies related to non-income taxes	2,800	2,722
Possible contingences related to non-income taxes, which are not accrued	1,272
Broadcast Licenses
Renewal period of broadcasting licenses and other operating licenses (in years)	5
Minimum percentage of programming in the Kazakh language during every six-hour slot	50.00%
Minimum
Operating leases
Terms of operating leases for satellite transponders and office space (in years)	1
Maximum
Operating leases
Terms of operating leases for satellite transponders and office space (in years)	11
Channel 31 Group
Non-Income Taxes
Accruals for contingencies related to non-income taxes related to pre-acquisition operation of the Channel 31 Group	1,707	1,700
Acquisition of programming rights
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	265,477
Through 2012	162,641
Through 2013	74,488
Through 2014	28,348
Transmission and satellite fees
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	105,582
Through 2012	15,563
Through 2013	20,994
Through 2014	21,904
Through 2015	22,988
Through 2016	24,133
Leasehold obligations
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	26,915
Through 2012	4,023
Through 2013	5,411
Through 2014	5,598
Through 2015	5,820
Through 2016	6,063
Cable connections
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	10,016
Through 2012	3,553
Through 2013	1,720
Through 2014	1,581
Through 2015	1,581
Through 2016	1,581
Acquisition of format rights
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	2,700
Through 2012	2,700
Payments for intellectual rights
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	3,825
Through 2012	734
Through 2013	776
Through 2014	774
Through 2015	772
Through 2016	769
Network affiliation agreements
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	2,531
Through 2012	663
Through 2013	596
Through 2014	570
Through 2015	524
Through 2016	178
Other contractual obligations
Purchase commitments
Total commitments	1,713
Through 2012	708
Through 2013	$ 1,005

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Renewal period (in years) of broadcasting licenses and other operating licenses required by all broadcast television stations in Russia.

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No definition available.

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Minimum percentage of programming in the Kazakh language to be broadcasted during every six-hour slot, as per the law of the Kazakh government.

+ References

No definition available.

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Estimated aggregate accrual for non-income tax contingencies as of the balance sheet date.

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No definition available.

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Estimated aggregate accrual for non-income tax contingencies related to pre-acquisition operations of the Channel 31 Group as of the balance sheet date.

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No definition available.

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Estimated aggregate amount of possible non-income tax contingencies not accrued as of the balance sheet date.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

Area of office space leased in an office building in central Moscow by the entity pursuant to lease agreements (in square meters).

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No definition available.

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Technical costs relating to operating leases arising from maintenance of the premises, taxes and other costs such as supplementary municipal services.

+ References

No definition available.

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Represents the time period (in years) of operating leases for satellite transponders and office space.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

This element represents the payments that the lessee is obligated to make or can be required to make in connection with a property under the terms of an agreement classified as an operating lease, excluding contingent rentals and a guarantee by the lessee of the lessor's debt and the lessee's obligation to pay (apart from the rental payments) executory costs such as insurance, maintenance, and taxes.

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Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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-Paragraph 40

-Subparagraph (Note 3)

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- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than four and within five years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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-Paragraph 7

-Subparagraph b

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-SubTopic 10

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- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid within one year of the balance sheet date.

+ References

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- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than three and within four years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

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- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than one and within two years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

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- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than two and within three years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

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- Definition

The amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

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