Oxygen has renewed their Best Ink for a third season. The new episodes will start airing late this year. In addition, they’re developing two more shows — Tattoos After Dark and Break Up Tattoos.

Here’s their press release:

OXYGEN MEDIA GREENLIGHTS THIRD SEASON OF HIT TATTOO COMPETITION SERIES “BEST INK” WITH HOST PETE WENTZ TO PREMIERE Q4 2013
Series’ Success Drives Development Of Two New Projects

“Tattoos After Dark” (WT) and “Break Up Tattoos” (WT)

NEW YORK – June 3, 2013 – Oxygen Media adds more “ink” to the network’s lineup with a season three greenlight of its popular tattoo competition series “Best Ink,” to air this winter. “Best Ink” has soared in the ratings, recently earning its two highest performances of the series among adults 18-49 on back-to-back weeks (5/15/13 and 5/22/13) and marked impressive triple digit growth in adults 18-49 and total viewers year over year. Returning with Fall Out Boy bassist, musician, and tattoo enthusiast Pete Wentz as the host, “Best Ink” lays bare the cutthroat and wildly unpredictable world of tattoo artistry as the best artists from around the country compete for $100,000 and a cover story in Tattoo magazine. With casting currently underway, the judges’ panel will also return with world-renowned tattoo artist Joe Capobianco, international pinup model and tattoo removal shop owner Sabina Kelley, and distinguished pinup and portrait tattoo specialist Hannah Aitchison. On the heels of the series’ success, the network announces the development of two new series in the space, “Tattoos After Dark” (WT), chronicling the outrageous antics that take place during the night shifts at two popular tattoo shops and “Break Up Tattoos” (WT) bringing exes together to rehash their drama and re-do a tattoo that once symbolized their love.

The success of “Best Ink” contributed to a milestone May for Oxygen with the series averaging 535,000 total viewers, up five percent compared to the previous season (Live+SD). In May, Oxygen powered into the top 20 ad-supported cable networks with women 18-34 and women 18-49, delivering its best week in network history among adults 18-34 and women 18-34 for the week ending May 26.

“‘Best Ink’ has been a proven hit and our viewers have connected with the tattoo artists’ and their skins’ (clients) emotional stories. Season three will deliver bigger challenges, higher emotional stakes and contestants that will stop at nothing to prove they have the Best Ink,” said Rod Aissa, Senior Vice President, Original Programming and Development, Oxygen Media. He added, “We want to continue to super-serve the audience by expanding our slate, delving further into the world of tattooing and the extreme and unexpected environments of the culture.”

Susan Malfa, Senior VP, Cable Ad Sales remarked, “When a show comes back for a third season, as Oxygen’s ‘Best Ink’ is, advertisers take notice. They look for quality, engaging content with a social footprint. ‘Best Ink’ is that proven performer with double digit ratings growth in young women 18-34 making this show even more attractive to marketers because it hits the social demographic bull’s-eye.” Malfa added, “Oxygen is a gem of a network offering a brand environment that attracts and connects with a hard to reach young female audience. We can demonstrate how Oxygen and ‘Best Ink’ can amplify a marketer’s campaign with robust sponsorship opportunities for the coming season.”

SERIES IN DEVELOPMENT:

“Tattoos After Dark” (working title)

Produced by 495 Productions, with executive producer SallyAnn Salsano (“Jersey Shore”), “Tattoos After Dark” uncovers the extreme, wild and crazy shenanigans that take place after 10 PM at tattoo parlors in the hottest party towns. Nothing is off-limits as the cameras capture the late night chaos from the incredibly talented artists to the over-the-top clients looking to get inked. This loud after hours show is sure to shock as you never know who is going to stumble in or what they will look like when they walk out.

“Break Up Tattoos” (Working Title)

Produced by Original Media with executive producer Charles Corwin (“LA Ink,” “Ink Masters”), “Break Up Tattoos” will reunite ex-couples for the opportunity to re-do a tattoo that once represented their love. Sitting in opposing chairs, the former flames will have to rehash the past while artists fix their once-permanent tattoos and ink them with a brand new one.

On the season finale of “Best Ink,” premiering Wednesday, June 5 at 10PM ET/PT, the three remaining artists tattoo familiar skins when former customers return to the chair in the final “Ink Challenge.” After a surprise elimination, the final two artists ink masterpieces on celebrity skins Travie McCoy (Gym Class Heroes) and AJ McLean (The Backstreet Boys), but only one artist will be crowned Best Ink and go home with $100,000.

“Best Ink” is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions, a Banijay Group company, with Jonathan Murray, Gil Goldschein, and Rick DeOlivera serving as executive producers.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Time period data based on Most Current data. L+7 through 05/05/13 blended with L+SD through 05/19/13.Cable ranks includes ad supported cable entertainment networks, and excludes non-ad supported networks (e.g., pay cable, Disney), sports, news channels and networks that air in less than 50% of the daypart. Program data based on LS.

What do you think? Are you a fan of this series? Glad to hear it’s been renewed?