Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Tracking Stocks (Details)

v3.5.0.2
Tracking Stocks (Details)
 3 Months Ended 9 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Jul. 22, 2016
shares
May 18, 2016
USD ($)
$ / shares
Oct. 01, 2015
USD ($)
$ / shares
Sep. 30, 2016
USD ($)
item
Sep. 30, 2015
USD ($)
Sep. 30, 2016
USD ($)
item
Sep. 30, 2015
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2015
USD ($)
Nov. 04, 2016
USD ($)
Nov. 02, 2016
USD ($)
Jul. 07, 2016
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
USD ($)
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Cash distributed to Liberty from Liberty Expedia Holdings                 $ 300,000,000      
Number of tracking stocks | item       2   2            
Cash and cash equivalents       $ 505,000,000 $ 2,546,000,000 $ 505,000,000 $ 2,546,000,000 $ 2,449,000,000       $ 2,306,000,000
Investment in Affiliate       $ 3,051,000,000   3,051,000,000            
Goodwill, Purchase Accounting Adjustments           $ 57,000,000            
Liberty Broadband                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Investment in Affiliate   $ 2,400,000,000                    
Expedia                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage       16.00%   16.00%            
Voting Interest In Investee       52.00%   52.00%            
zulily                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred     $ 2,300,000,000                  
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid     $ 1,200,000,000                  
Business Acquisition, Share Price | $ / shares     $ 9.375                  
Goodwill, Purchase Accounting Adjustments           $ 57,000,000            
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Purchase Accounting Adjustments           (40,000,000)            
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets, Purchase Accounting Adjustments           (50,000,000)            
Deferred Tax Liabilities Purchase Accounting Adjustments       $ 33,000,000   33,000,000            
Business Acquisition, Amortization Adjustment Recognized During Measurement Period               (3,000,000)        
QVC Group Common Stock                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Cash and cash equivalents       $ 348,000,000 512,000,000 $ 348,000,000 512,000,000 426,000,000       422,000,000
QVC Group Common Stock | HSN, Inc.                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage       38.00%   38.00%            
QVC Group Common Stock | zulily                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Business Acquisition Equity Interests Issued or Issuable Number Of Shares Issued Per Shares Acquired     0.3098                  
Liberty Ventures common stock                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Cash and cash equivalents       $ 157,000,000 2,034,000,000 $ 157,000,000 2,034,000,000 2,023,000,000       $ 1,884,000,000
Investment in Affiliate       $ 3,051,000,000   $ 3,051,000,000            
Price per share of Liberty Broadband Series C common stock | $ / shares   $ 56.23                    
Liberty Ventures common stock | Expedia Margin Loan                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Principal amount                     $ 300,000,000  
Liberty Ventures common stock | Liberty Broadband                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage       24.00%   24.00%            
Liberty Ventures common stock | Expedia                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage       16.00%   16.00%            
Liberty Ventures common stock | Common Class A                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Spilt-Off redemption ratio                 0.4      
Liberty Ventures common stock | Common Class B                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Spilt-Off redemption ratio                 0.4      
CommerceHub | Spinoff                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Revenue       $ 7,000,000 20,000,000 $ 51,000,000 59,000,000          
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest       $ 4,000,000 $ (5,000,000) $ 4,000,000 $ (6,000,000)          
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Assets of Disposal Group               $ 115,000,000        
Liberty Expedia Holdings | Common Class A                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Spilt-Off redemption ratio                 0.4      
Liberty Expedia Holdings | Common Class B                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Spilt-Off redemption ratio                 0.4      
Liberty Broadband | Liberty Ventures common stock                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Liberty Broadband investment in Charter stock   $ 5,000,000,000                    
CommerceHub | Common Class A                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Shares issued as dividend | shares 0.1                      
CommerceHub | Common Class B                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Shares issued as dividend | shares 0.1                      
CommerceHub | Common Class C                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Shares issued as dividend | shares 0.2                      
Liberty Expedia Holdings | Expedia Holdings Margin Loan                        
Targeted or Tracking Stock, Stock [Line Items]                        
Principal amount                   $ 350,000,000