Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
Total revenue	$ 786,199,000	$ 764,721,000	$ 806,004,000	$ 764,780,000	$ 834,209,000	$ 863,163,000	$ 584,233,000	$ 479,826,000	$ 3,121,704,000	$ 2,761,431,000	$ 2,350,369,000
Operating income	663,000	23,880,000	45,933,000	29,410,000	1,903,000	22,266,000	45,821,000	10,848,000	99,886,000	80,838,000	142,325,000
Net income (loss) attributable to EchoStar	26,224,000	22,554,000	35,682,000	126,588,000	(12,890,000)	(19,117,000)	18,482,000	17,164,000	211,048,000	3,639,000	204,358,000
Basic EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.29	$ 0.26	$ 0.41	$ 1.46	$ (0.15)	$ (0.22)	$ 0.21	$ 0.20	$ 2.42	$ 0.04	$ 2.40
Diluted EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.28	$ 0.26	$ 0.41	$ 1.45	$ (0.15)	$ (0.22)	$ 0.21	$ 0.19	$ 2.40	$ 0.04	$ 2.40
Nonrecurring dividend from a strategic investment	29,000,000								46,000,000
Impairment charges of long-lived assets	$ 33,000,000				$ 33,000,000				$ 32,765,000	$ 32,964,000