CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2022	Mar. 31, 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	$ 70	$ (206)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	(21)	(20)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired		0
Spectrum repack reimbursements	1	14
Proceeds from sale of assets	4	28
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash	(315)	0
Purchases of investments	(5)	(49)
Distributions from investments	70
Other, net	0	(2)
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(266)	(26)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing	0	6
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and finance leases	(7)	(26)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(68)	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	(18)	(15)
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	(1)	(4)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	(3)	(30)
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	(2)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	0	0
Other, net	(5)	(14)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(102)	(85)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	(298)	(317)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	819	1,262
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	521	945
Reportable Legal Entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(5)	(18)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	0	0
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired		0
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash	0
Purchases of investments	(2)	(2)
Distributions from investments	50
Other, net		0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	48	(2)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing		0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and finance leases	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(68)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	(18)	(15)
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests		0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	100	49
Other, net	(5)	(14)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	9	20
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	52	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	2	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	54	0
Reportable Legal Entities | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(45)	30
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	(1)	0
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired		0
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash	0
Purchases of investments	(1)	(10)
Distributions from investments	0
Other, net		0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(2)	(10)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing		0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and finance leases	(5)	(3)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests		0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	151	29
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	146	26
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	99	46
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	316	458
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	415	504
Reportable Legal Entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	327	113
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	(18)	(14)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired		(2)
Spectrum repack reimbursements	1	14
Proceeds from sale of assets	4	28
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash	0
Purchases of investments	(1)	(13)
Distributions from investments	10
Other, net		(1)
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(4)	12
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing		0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and finance leases	(1)	(2)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests		0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(323)	(118)
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(324)	(120)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	(1)	5
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	2	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	1	5
Reportable Legal Entities | Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(209)	(332)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	(2)	(7)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired		0
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash	(315)
Purchases of investments	(1)	(24)
Distributions from investments	10
Other, net		4
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(308)	(27)
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing		6
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and finance leases	(1)	(21)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	(1)	(4)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	(3)	(30)
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests		(2)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	74	42
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	69	(9)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	(448)	(368)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	499	804
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	51	436
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	2	1
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of property and equipment	0	1
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired		0
Spectrum repack reimbursements	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Deconsolidation of subsidiary cash	0
Purchases of investments	0	0
Distributions from investments	0
Other, net		0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	0	1
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing		0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and finance leases	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock	0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	0	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net	0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests		0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(2)	(2)
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(2)	(2)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period	0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	$ 0	$ 0