WASHINGTON: A lawyer for Walt Disney urged a US judge on Tuesday to block the Federal Communications Commission's early review of licences for its eight company-owned ABC TV stations, saying President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to censor and punish the company for airing content it does not like.

The company's lawsuit, filed in August, poses a key test for the free speech rights of broadcasters under the US Constitution's First Amendment versus the Trump administration's efforts to reshape the media landscape.

Trump has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programmes he dislikes or which have joked about or criticised him or his administration. The Republican president has also repeatedly called on the FCC to strip stations of licences after criticising news and other programming.