Investments In Available-For-Sale Securities And Other Cost Investments Investments In Available-For-Sale Securities And Other Cost Investments (Notes)

v2.4.0.8

Investments In Available-For-Sale Securities And Other Cost Investments Investments In Available-For-Sale Securities And Other Cost Investments (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Investments in Available-for-Sale Securities and Other Cost Investments [Abstract]
Investments in Available-for-Sale Securities and Other Cost Investments	Investments in Available-for-Sale Securities and Other Cost Investments All marketable equity and debt securities held by the Company are classified as available-for-sale ("AFS") and are carried at fair value generally based on quoted market prices. GAAP permits entities to choose to measure many financial instruments, such as AFS securities, and certain other items at fair value and to recognize the changes in fair value of such instruments in the entity's statement of operations (the "fair value option"). The Company previously entered into economic hedges for certain of its non-strategic AFS securities (although such instruments were not accounted for as fair value hedges by the Company). Changes in the fair value of these economic hedges were reflected in the Company's statement of operations as unrealized gains (losses). In order to better match the changes in fair value of the subject AFS securities and the changes in fair value of the corresponding economic hedges in the Company's financial statements, the Company elected the fair value option for those of its AFS securities which it considers to be non-strategic ("Fair Value Option Securities"). Accordingly, changes in the fair value of Fair Value Option Securities, as determined by quoted market prices, are reported in realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations. Investments in AFS securities, including Fair Value Option Securities separately aggregated, and other cost investments are summarized as follows:   June 30, 2014   December 31, 2013   amounts in millions Fair Value Option Securities         Time Warner, Inc. (a) $ 299   297   Time Warner Cable, Inc. (a) 348   320   Viacom, Inc. (a) 315   317   Barnes & Noble, Inc. (b) 27   255   Other equity securities 51   37   Other debt securities 27   27       Total Fair Value Option Securities 1,067   1,253 AFS and cost investments         Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. ("Live Nation") debt securities 24   24     Other AFS and cost investments 38   47       Total AFS and cost investments 62   71   $ 1,129   1,324 (a) See note 8 for details regarding the number and fair value of shares pledged as collateral pursuant to certain margin loan agreements as of June 30, 2014. (b) In April 2014 Liberty reduced its overall ownership interest in Barnes & Noble, Inc. to less than 2% through the sale of approximately 90% of the preferred stock held by Liberty as of such date for $247 million in proceeds. Unrealized Holding Gains and Losses Unrealized holding gains and losses related to investments in AFS securities are summarized below.   June 30, 2014   December 31, 2013   Equity securities   Debt securities   Equity securities   Debt securities   amounts in millions Gross unrealized holding gains $ 2   —   6   1 Gross unrealized holding losses $ —   —   —   —