Every time I studied "with" a classmate at e.g. the university library I would end up still just studying by myself, though just knowing there are others around doing the same/similar thing had a positive effect on me.
When I study with someone there’s a real life component. We take breaks together, chat, ask each other questions.
Also, studying in common places can remove environmental distractions. For some reason during finals time I had the urge to clean the apartment.
I can relate to the physical in-person-ness of the experience. I cannot relate to the non-interactive, passive watching of it.
In the article they mention he studies with a pomodoro timer, so I guess he interacts with the "stream chat" during the off time and such.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Definitely not for everyone! But I can see the appeal.