Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Investments In Affiliates Accounted For Using The Equity Method (Schedule Of Liberty's Share Of Earnings (Losses) Of Affiliates) (Details)

v2.4.0.8
Investments In Affiliates Accounted For Using The Equity Method (Schedule Of Liberty's Share Of Earnings (Losses) Of Affiliates) (Details) (USD $)
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Dec. 31, 2011
Share of earnings of affiliates, net $ 33 $ 85 $ 140
Interactive Group [Member]
      
Share of earnings of affiliates, net 48 28 23
Interactive Group [Member] | HSN, Inc. [Member]
      
Share of earnings of affiliates, net 61 40 38
Interactive Group [Member] | Other5 [Member]
      
Share of earnings of affiliates, net (13) (12) (15)
Ventures Group [Member]
      
Share of earnings of affiliates, net (15) 57 117
Ventures Group [Member] | Expedia [Member]
      
Share of earnings of affiliates, net 31 [1],[2] 67 [1],[2] 119 [1],[2]
Ventures Group [Member] | TripAdvisor, Inc. [Member]
      
Share of earnings of affiliates, net   38 [1],[3]  
Ventures Group [Member] | Other5 [Member]
      
Share of earnings of affiliates, net $ (46) [4] $ (48) [4] $ (2) [4]
[1] During the fourth quarter of 2011 Expedia, Inc. completed the pro-rata split-off of TripAdvisor, a wholly owned subsidiary. Therefore, the Company had a 26% ownership interest in each of Expedia, Inc. and TripAdvisor as of December 31, 2011.
[2] Liberty entered into a forward sales contract on 12 million shares of Expedia common stock in March 2012 at a per share forward price of $34.316. The forward contract was settled in October 2012 for total cash proceeds of $412 million and the 12 million shares of Expedia common stock, previously held as collateral, were released to the counterparty. In the fourth quarter of 2012, when the forward contract settled, the difference between the fair value of the Expedia shares and the carrying value of the shares ($443 million) was recognized in the gain (loss) on transactions, net line item in the statement of operations. Liberty owns an approximate 18% equity interest and 58% voting interest in Expedia. Liberty has entered into governance arrangements pursuant to which Mr. Barry Diller, Chairman of the Board and Senior Executive Officer of Expedia, may vote its interests of Expedia, subject to certain limitations. Additionally, through our governance arrangements with Mr. Diller, we have the right to appoint and have appointed 20% of the members of Expedia's board of directors, which is currently comprised of 10 members. Therefore, we determined based on these arrangements that we have significant influence and have accounted for the investment as an equity method affiliate.
[3] n May 2012, Liberty sold approximately 8.5 million shares of TripAdvisor for cash proceeds of $338 million. The sale resulted in a $288 million gain recorded in gain (losses) on transactions, net, based on the average cost, in the statement of operations. On December 11, 2012, we acquired approximately 4.8 million additional shares of common stock of TripAdvisor (an additional 4% equity ownership interest) for $300 million and obtained voting control of TripAdvisor, see note 5 for additional details of the fourth quarter transaction with TripAdvisor.
[4] Liberty invested $300 million in a solar energy plant during 2013. Liberty expects to receive a portion of the initial investment back within a year as the entity expects to receive grant proceeds and other favorable tax attributes. The Company expects to record its share of losses of the solar plant but expects to record the impacts of favorable tax attributes (primarily accelerated depreciation) as a current tax benefit with an offsetting deferred tax expense in the tax expense (benefit) line item in the Statement of Operations.