Breaking Bad's future at AMC in question

When I first read that headline, I had a bad feeling as I thought the show could end before its story is told.  However, Breaking Bad's future isn't in question, just what network it would conclude on.  In summary:

The LAT reported that “tense negotiations” were taking place between AMC and Sony over a fifth season of the drama, which creator Vince Gilligan has said recently is where he would like things to end. Unfortunately for all of them—and for all of us—those talks remain at an impasse, with Sony even reportedly reaching out to other cable networks about taking on Breaking Bad should the deal fall through....  Not only does AMC want to lower overall production costs, it also wants to shorten Breaking Bad’s final season to only six or eight episodes, as opposed to the usual 13.

Of course, as the LAT points out, a new network would probably ask that they drag the show out for more than just one season, which could be its own less-than-ideal compromise. But before we begin prematurely lamenting that, the New York Times now says promisingly that the tone of the talks has improved, that the lowered episode count is “no longer on the table,” and that there was more optimism that a deal would be reached, although that’s still forthcoming.

Full story at the AVClub