Share-based Compensation (Awards Outstanding and Exercisable) (Details)	Jun. 30, 2019 $ / shares shares
Held by Liberty Global employees: | Options and SARs | Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options outstanding (in shares)	22,448,756
Options outstanding, weighted average exercise or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 30.23
Options exercisable (in shares)	10,720,613
Options exercisable, weighted average exercise price or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 32.98
Held by Liberty Global employees: | Options and SARs | Class C
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options outstanding (in shares)	49,630,523
Options outstanding, weighted average exercise or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 28.89
Options exercisable (in shares)	25,791,257
Options exercisable, weighted average exercise price or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 30.76
Held by Liberty Global employees: | RSUs | Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	2,012,497
Held by Liberty Global employees: | RSUs | Class B
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	48,786
Held by Liberty Global employees: | RSUs | Class C
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	4,020,912
Held by Liberty Global employees: | PSUs | Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	3,065,328
Held by Liberty Global employees: | PSUs | Class B
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	1,330,000
Held by Liberty Global employees: | PSUs | Class C
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	6,132,679
Held by Liberty Global employees: | RSAs | Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	0
Held by Liberty Global employees: | RSAs | Class B
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	670,000
Held by Liberty Global employees: | RSAs | Class C
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	0
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | Options and SARs | Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options outstanding (in shares)	1,168,243
Options outstanding, weighted average exercise or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 33.61
Options exercisable (in shares)	1,035,793
Options exercisable, weighted average exercise price or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 33.57
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | Options and SARs | Class C
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options outstanding (in shares)	2,679,382
Options outstanding, weighted average exercise or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 31.59
Options exercisable (in shares)	2,414,347
Options exercisable, weighted average exercise price or base price (in dollars per shares) | $ / shares	$ 31.44
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | RSUs | Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	6,676
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | RSUs | Class B
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	0
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | RSUs | Class C
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	13,367
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | PSUs | Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	77,650
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | PSUs | Class B
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	0
Held by former Liberty Global employees: | PSUs | Class C
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Other than options outstanding (in shares)	155,479