# The Million Dollar Homepage

> A student’s pixel billboard sold out after drawing bloggers, news coverage and imitators.

- Owner: Alex Tew
- Kind: App & software
- Sector: Media & publishing
- Seed date: Aug 2005
- Milestone date: 2006-01-11
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 10 (Niche, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Maker origin, Press loop, Dupe economy, Scarcity drop

## Summary

Alex Tew sold advertising on a finite pixel grid. Bloggers and news outlets carried the student’s fundraising story. The final block went to auction, while named imitators reproduced the format.

## Timeline

- Aug 2005 — Alex Tew (Open web) — Tew began selling pixel blocks to help fund his university studies.
- 2005-09-08 — The Register (Press) — Reported over 1,000 pixels sold, including 400 to Tew’s brother; logos linked to buyers’ websites.
- 2005-09-20 — The Register (Press) — Reported about 60,000 pixels sold, including purchases by poker sites, lenders and small businesses.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/the-million-dollar-homepage

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “The Million Dollar Homepage.” Case HIS-01107. Spread Score v1.2: 10/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01107