The emergence in the merger fight of the much-maligned cable bundle, widely deemed (including by Paramount) as essentially irrelevant in a world of streaming and social media, is striking for many reasons — aside from it becoming central to 12 states’ antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the pending $110 billion acquisition. For one, the issue was never mentioned by the U.S. Department of Justice in its statement granting approval to the merger earlier this year. For another, the cash flow from cable networks is crucial to Paramount’s plan to pay down the large debt load the transaction will create.