Segment Reporting (Capital Expenditures of Reportable Segments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	$ 997.0	$ 924.9
Assets acquired under capital-related vendor financing arrangements	(438.9)	(295.0)
Assets acquired under capital leases	(27.9)	(62.0)
Changes in current liabilities related to capital expenditures	106.9	93.3
Total capital expenditures	637.1	661.2
European Operations Division U.K / Ireland [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	368.5	347.3
European Operations Division Netherlands [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	140.1	120.8
European Operations Division Germany [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	127.0	142.9
European Operations Division Belgium [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	98.9	63.2
European Operations Division Switzerland / Austria [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	58.4	56.6
European Operations Division Total Western Europe [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	792.9	730.8
European Operations Division Central and Eastern Europe [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	59.9	48.6
European Operations Division Central and Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	68.6	50.3
Total European Operations Division [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	921.4	829.7
Corporate and Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	4.1	39.1
Liberty Global Group [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	925.5	868.8
LiLAC Group Chile [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	52.4	40.4
LiLAC Group Puerto Rico [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	19.1	15.7
LiLAC Group [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total property and equipment additions	$ 71.5	$ 56.1