A
telenovela ( or ; , ), ) is a type of limited-run serial
drama and popular on European, West Asian, Southeast Asian, Latin American, East Asian, South Asian,
Arab World, Brazil, Portuguese and Spanish television networks. The word combines
tele, short for
televisión or
televisão (Spanish and Portuguese words for
television), and
novela, a Spanish and Portuguese word for "novel". There are similar genres to the telenovela that use the novela format, but go by varying names including
Teleserye (Philippines),
Téléroman (Canada, specifically
Quebec), or simply dramas (Asia from East Asia to the
Arab World).