ESPHome documents a remote_transmitter component for infrared and RF signals, with ESP32 hardware well suited to accurate IR timing through its RMT peripheral. That gives the bar-TV retrofit idea a small, testable technical foundation: send one known power or input code to one television, observe the response and only then design the product around it.
The important constraint is electrical rather than software magic. A GPIO pin is not a high-power IR blaster; the LED may need an appropriate driver and current-limiting design for useful range. Start with a bench-distance proof of concept and do not assume every TV model uses the same command set.
Do this: bookmark the ESPHome transmitter documentation and define success as one repeatable command to one TV. Do not inventory an entire bar until that works.