The UK version of Newvista has been active since 2007, and ICM said that several clients in Ireland, including a “major” high street bank, a mobile network operator, a soft drinks company and a frozen food firm, have already signed up to use the new panel.

A spokeswoman said that the joint venture panel consists of 10,000 members and will be administered by ICM Direct. She said that Red C is an “equal shareholder” in the partnership but will have no part in the running of the panel.

ICM Direct production director Neil Sykes (pictured) said: “Newvista’s success in the UK is rooted in state-of-the-art technology combined with ICM Direct’s ongoing determination to deliver quality data on time. We have successfully transported this blueprint to the Irish market.”