Light coming from the room influencing TV
Yes, the sensor responds to the room light and it may be brighter than the signal from the remote control.
The signal from the remote control however is modulated with a signal that is typically at 38kHz. The TV is tuned to only respond to light modulation at that frequency. The 38kHz modulation is pulsed to transmit the actual control function.
The signals from room light will typically be at DC for steady light such as sunlight or at 100/120Hz from lights powered by the wall socket (the ripple is at twice the frequency usually because the lights illuminated on both positive and negative half-cycles). Some LED lights may modulate with other frequencies as well because of the way they control their power.
TV Remote Control Formats