In light of the current economic and financial crises, iSuppli Corp has trimmed its forecast for LCD-TV shipments, but still anticipates growth in 2008 and 2009, according to a report by the Society for Information Display.

iSuppli now forecasts global LCD-TV shipments will amount to 93.4 million units in 2008, down nearly 6 percent from its previous prediction of 99 million. iSuppli also reduced its previous forecast of 124 million units for 2009 to 112.6 million units for the year.

Despite this more subdued outlook, worldwide LCD-TV shipments still will rise 18.9 percent in 2008 and by 20.5 percent in 2009.

"The economic downturn in the United States and Europe has had a knock-on effect on global economies, spurring a slowdown in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, an increase in inflation and a deceleration in consumer spending around the world," said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst, television systems, for iSuppli. "The current crisis is impacting spending in all markets, including LCD TVs. The continued impact of the recession and credit crunch in the United States and Europe and rising inflation in many emerging markets will slow down sales growth for LCD TVs in 2009 as well."

However, this slowdown wont be sufficient to cause an annual decrease in unit shipments in 2008 or 2009.

"LCD-TV shipments will continue to rise due to strong consumer interest and declining Average Selling Prices (ASPs) for sets," Patel noted. "Furthermore, iSuppli expects the major brands marketing and promotional efforts will fuel demand."