The headline seems to be implying you're getting something for nothing ("PlayTV unlocks free digital TV"). Unless I'm missing something, it just provides the tuners.
A lot of digital channels are free in the UK.
In the U.S., it's not. At least where I live it's not free. Gotta pay the fees if you want Digital. Hell, you gotta pay the fees if you want
anything at all.
The cable company are jackasses. There's a big push to completely shut down the old broadcast antennas. Which would be fine if the cable companies continued to offer/allow access to at least the basic channel package for free. However, they've altered it so you have to pay $12 a month (again in my area). If you decide to opt for what used to be a free service, the cable guy will come out and physically cut the cable at first drop from the pole since they no longer, "offer," it.

When I was in High School, cable companies were required to send out, at a very minimum, a basic feed. Even if you didn't pay for the cable, you got
something such as the local news channel and PBS and Spanish. Usually channels 2-13 minus a few here and there. The same feeds one would get through broadcast. At some point between then and now, that policy changed and cable companies started charging, even for the same type of service used to receive through an antennae.