What does a 3,000-episode back catalog really cost?

The first 800 episodes are covered by the $29.00/month base plan. The other 2,200 are $4.00 per 100, about $88.00: charged when you add that channel, then about $88.00 every month after that to keep them indexed.

So the recurring bill is the $29.00 base plus that episode overage, plus any websites or API keys you turn on.