Amazon Puts Alexa in the Spotlight in Q3 Earnings Report, as Sales Jump to $43.7 Billion

Amazon reported 7.1 million Amazon Prime Video views for NFL Thursday Night Football in the first four weeks of the season in its Thursday Q3 earnings release. Prime members in 187 countries and territories streamed games on living room devices -- including smart TVs and Fire TVs, and the Prime Video mobile app and the web -- watching an average 51 minutes per game, it said. The company mentioned Alexa 20 times in the release, referencing new calling features, the Q3 launch of far-field voice control on Fire TV and the 25,000 skills in the Alexa Skills store. The company now has 12 bookstores in the U.S. with more stores planned in Walnut Creek, California; Washington, D.C.; and Austin, it said. Amazon’s revenue jumped 34 percent in the quarter to $43.7 billion, and net income rose 1 percent to $256 million. Revenue in the U.S. in Q3 was $25.4 billion, it said. Shares closed up 13 percent Friday to $1,100.95.