Apple remote won't pair to Apple TV (3rd gen)

I was gifted a secondhand Apple TV 3rd gen for christmas that was hardly used by the previous owners but did not come with a remote so I bought a new one from an electronics store.

I have plugged my apple TV into my television with a HDMI cable and into a power outlet. The white light on the front is on but does not flash at all when I try to pair the remote by holding the "menu" and "right" buttons for 6 seconds... I want to use it with wifi but to connect the Apple TV to my home wifi network I need a paired remote to do that! Not really sure how else I can start up my Apple TV without a working remote ... very annoying

Attached photo is the screen it is stuck on at the moment until I can figure out how to connect the remote I bought.

(I have also tried putting the HDMI cable in a different HDMI port in the television and no change....)