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Yes because the PTS is meant for players to test potential changes and it's way cheaper for ZOS (i think) to give access to everything and let players test and provide feedback than to pay someone else to do it.
League of Legends has a similar test server as well, where everything is unlocked and you can test things like upcoming champions and skins.
I don't think that the PTS will impact ZOS much in a financial way. When greymoor launched in live there was no one in PTS..
1-if you realize you really like the DLC or Chapter, you may decide to pay for it - so good marketing
2-Every so often the servers are wiped, so you can't have unlimited continuity, so again, it's to tempt you to do more on the regular game.
Tenesi Faryon of Telvanni - Dunmer Sorceress who deliberately sought sacrifice into Cold Harbor to rescue her beloved.
Hisa Ni Caemaire - Altmer Sorceress, member of the Order Draconis and Adept of the House of Dibella.
Broken Branch Toothmaul - goblin (for my goblin characters, I use either orsimer or bosmer templates) Templar, member of the Order Draconis and persistently unskilled pickpocket
Mol gro Durga - Orsimer Socerer/Battlemage who died the first time when the Nibenay Valley chapterhouse of the Order Draconis was destroyed, then went back to Cold Harbor to rescue his second/partner who was still captive. He overestimated his resistance to the hopelessness of Oblivion, about to give up, and looked up to see the golden glow of atherius surrounding a beautiful young woman who extended her hand to him and said "I can help you". He carried Fianna Kingsley out of Cold Harbor on his shoulder. He carried Alvard Stower under one arm. He also irritated the Prophet who had intended the portal for only Mol and Lyris.
***
Order Draconis - well c'mon there has to be some explanation for all those dragon tattoos.
House of Dibella - If you have ever seen or read "Memoirs of a Geisha" that's just the beginning...
Nibenay Valley Chapterhouse - Where now stands only desolate ground and a dolmen there once was a thriving community supporting one of the major chapterhouses of the Order Draconis
Lets assume you want to test the new DLC or chapter on the PTS, how you gonna do it if it isnt for free there? You cant acces it on the live server, since its not out. And it would be pretty inhumane to make people pay for the contest the devs want tested on the PTS.
ESO is an mmorpg, not a single player game. They are not going to lose any money from people playing story content in PTS. As other's pointed out, progress is wiped every now and then so it's not possible for you to have a static character on PTS for a long time.
If you just want to experience the story, go ahead and do it on PTS