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The 10th season of Fox's "American Idol" hit high gear last month, both in competition and in product placement.

"Idol" viewers were treated to 208 in-show appearances by brands such as Coca-Cola, Ford and AT&T in March, up from 102 the month before, according to Nielsen research on the broadcast networks' new prime-time episodes. "Idol" was the largest venue for product placement in both months, according to Nielsen. Last month's second-place spot went to NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice," with 127 brand appearances.

The huge run-up in brand integrations on "Idol" from February to March, of course, partly just reflects the calendar: March had one more set of Wednesdays and Thursdays, when "Idol" usually runs, than February did. But the show format also works in a lot more brand appearances once it gets down to finalists, the live studio audience and viewer voting.

Coca-Cola, meanwhile, topped Nielsen's chart of the most-present brands in broadcast prime time, followed by AT&T, Chevrolet, Ford, Apple and others.