Epix has given a greenlight to a third season of its drama series Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker, the network said Thursday.

The third season of the series, in which Whitaker plays infamous 1960s crime boss Bumpy Johnson as he continues to battle for control of Harlem, will begin production in New York this summer, according to network officials. 

The second season of  Godfather of Harlem was the premium channel’s best performing season of all time, with the season two finale servicing as Epix’s best performing finale episode to date, according to the network. 

Godfather of Harlem is produced by ABC Signature and is executive produced by Whitaker along with Chris Brancato, Paul Eckstein, Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, Markuann Smith and Joe Chappelle.

“Godfather of Harlem is that rare show that is both addictively entertaining, and deeply relevant,” Epix president Michael Wright said in a statement. “Forest Whitaker, Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein have crafted a series that deserves all the acclaim it has received, and it grows more compelling every season.”

Added Whitaker: “I’m thrilled to be returning to my show, working alongside our truly incredible cast, crew, and writers, as we tell this unique and powerful story. I can’t wait to get back to set, and thank Michael Wright, EPIX, ABC Signature, and our dedicated fans for their support."

Epix will step into the sports competition ring tonight (Aug. 24) with a reboot of the boxing docu series The Contender.

The Mark Burnett-produced series – which previously ran on ESPN, NBC and the now defunct Versus channel during the late 2000s – journeys into the lives of 16 up-and-coming boxers as they compete in an elimination-style boxing tournament. Former light heavyweight boxing champion Andre Ward will host series.

I recently spoke to Epix president Michael Wright to get the premium channel’s take on its version of the series. Here’s what Wright and Epix wants you to know about The Contender.

It’s all about the drama: There is such a marvelous element of human drama in this version of The Contender. We know the show’s been on before and it’s always been a good show, but we had to be able point to something distinctive about it. What we all leaned into was the human drama; every episode is a little Rocky episode.

More character-driven storylines than in previous The Contender versions: The show is really about these young men and it's beautifully cast, and by the sixth episode you find yourself saying ‘I want that guy to be OK.’ There's a greater emphasis in this version of the show on the individuals, and a greater attention paid to that guy's wife, or his mother or the father that he promised he would change his life around because of this show. There's a lot more emotion in this version of it.

The series still packs an action punch: The [in-ring] contests are still there -- it's 16 fighters and there will only be one contender standing at the end, and that's great for the series. [The fights are] the black velvet against which the diamonds that these fighters are can shine. I actually love boxing and I think there's still a connection or an association between boxing and the premium networks.

Researcher Parks Associates said that about 30% of Netflix customers subscribe to its premium service, up from 21% in late 2017 and despite a price increase in October.

At the same time, Parks says uptake of Netflix’s basic tier has fallen from 35% to 27%.

Netflix charges about $7.99 per month for its basic service, $10.99 per month for its most popular standard package and $13.99 monthly for its premium tier.   

"This shift reflects trends that we are seeing across the industry, beyond Netflix," said Parks senior director, research, Brett Sappington in a statement. "Netflix's basic tier is limited to one screen and SD quality, while the premium tier offers viewing on up to four screens and access to Ultra HD content. Many OTT-subscribing households have multiple people who want to watch similar content at the same time. Rather than competing for access, consumers are willing to pay extra for the convenience of multiple streams. At the same time, consumers want to watch on TVs, making HD viewing a must. Demand for Ultra HD TV is small but increasing."

Parks plans to detail this research and more at its upcoming conference the Future of Video: OTT, Pay TV and Digital Media, Dec. 10-12 in Marina del Rey, Calif.

Starz has renewed its popular drama series Power for a sixth season, the network said Tuesday.

The series, from creator, executive producer, and showrunner Courtney Kemp and executive producer Curtis ’50 Cent” Jackson, will return for its fifth season on July 1, according to the network. 

"As Power wraps production on season five, we want to acknowledge and thank our spectacular Power team for producing another great season,” said Starz president of programming Carmi Zlotnik in a statement. “We are also pleased to announce a pick-up for season six.”

Power, which stars Omari Hardwick, Naturi Naughton and Lela Loren, averaged 9.3 million multiplatform viewers per episode in its fourth season and is the most watched franchise for Starz, averaging 7.4 million multiplatform viewers for all four seasons, the network said.