'American Idol' to end with season 15

The upcoming 15th season of popular singing talent hunt American Idol will mark the end of the reality TV series.

Fox announced that it had renewed the ageing singing competition, and the current judges roster of Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr will all return with it as will long-running host Ryan Seacrest, said the Hollywood Reporter.

The network did not mince words in its announcement of the renewal, confirming No 15 would be the last for the one-time behemoth and referring to it as a "season-long celebratory event."

It's been expected for some time that this renewal would be Idol's last, as the show has seen both its ratings and relevance fade in an increasingly crowded landscape.

The current season has generated stronger critical favour but only averaged a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49 and 10.7 million viewers on Wednesday nights.