According to a study by Nielsen Analytics and Scarborough Research, Internet television attracts a young, educated and wealthy audience. Even more promising for the future of Internet TV is the fact that offering shows via the Internet doesn’t cut into traditional television viewing, it increases it.

“Video on PCs and iPods actually is expanding the audience for broadcast and cable programs,” the study said, citing data that total TV usage was at an all-time high in U.S. households at 8 hours, 14 minutes a day during the 2005-2006 TV season.

The report found that Internet broadband “expands the market for programming by offering the potential for watching shows at the office, and in non-traditional locations, such as coffee shops equipped with WiFi connections.”

“The broadband consumer is really the sweet spot for TV — younger, more affluent, better educated and tech savvy,” said Larry Gerbrandt, general manager and senior vice president of Nielsen Analytics. “If you’re an advertiser, this is who you want to reach,” he added.