Debt and Capital Lease Obligations (Consolidated Debt and Capital Lease Obligations) (Footnotes) (Details)	12 Months Ended																		12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Aggregate Variable and Fixed Rate Indebtedness [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 UPC Broadband Holding Bank Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 UPC Broadband Holding Bank Facility [Member] EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2012 UPC Broadband Holding Bank Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 VM Credit Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 VM Credit Facility [Member] GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2012 VM Credit Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Unitymedia KabelBW Revolving Credit Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Unitymedia KabelBW Revolving Credit Facility [Member] EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2013 Liberty Puerto Rico Bank Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Liberty Puerto Rico Bank Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 VM Convertible Notes [Member] USD ($)	Jun. 07, 2013 VM Convertible Notes [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 VM Convertible Notes [Member] USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2008 VM Convertible Notes [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Vendor Financing [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Vendor Financing [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 VTR Wireless Bank Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 VTR Wireless Bank Facility [Member] CLP	Dec. 31, 2012 VTR Wireless Bank Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Unitymedia KabelBW Capital Lease [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Unitymedia KabelBW Capital Lease [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Telenet Capital Lease PICs Network [Member] USD ($) Associations	Dec. 31, 2013 Telenet Capital Lease PICs Network [Member] EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2012 Telenet Capital Lease PICs Network [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Telenet Capital Lease PICs Network [Member] EUR (€)	Jun. 07, 2013 Debt Component [Member] VM Convertible Notes [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Equity Component [Member] VM Convertible Notes [Member] USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	5.55%			6.60%	3.76%	3.76%		3.77%	3.77%				6.89%		6.50%				3.56%
Unused borrowing capacity considering limitations					$ 596,100,000	€ 432,300,000		$ 1,082,800,000	£ 653,600,000		$ 295,800,000	€ 214,500,000
Unused borrowing capacity, considering limitations, after compliance reporting requirements					1,002,100,000	726,700,000		1,030,500,000	622,000,000		575,700,000	417,500,000
Available to be loaned or distributed by subsidiaries								505,600,000	305,200,000		185,500,000	134,500,000	0
Unused borrowing capacity, amount restricted to subsidiaries								230,900,000	139,400,000		506,600,000	367,400,000	0
Fair value of debt															(113,700,000)	(2,716,800,000)														(1,056,800,000)	(998,800,000)
General term of vendor financing arrangements for amounts due																			1 year
Value added tax, vendor financing arrangement	46,000,000	28,500,000	13,700,000																47,300,000	29,100,000
Principal amount of debt															54,800,000			1,000,000,000			114,200,000	60,000,000,000
Carrying value	42,856,000,000	26,134,900,000			5,671,400,000		5,466,800,000	4,352,800,000		0			665,000,000	663,900,000	57,500,000		0		603,100,000	276,800,000	113,100,000		91,900,000
Term when statutory termination rights are active																								30 years
Capital lease obligations	$ 1,848,300,000	$ 1,389,600,000																						$ 952,000,000	$ 937,100,000	$ 426,100,000	€ 309,000,000	$ 392,200,000	€ 284,400,000
Network lease, number of associations of municipalities																										4	4
Term of lease repayments																										15 years	15 years